Hussein To Face Charges in Iraq Court

Chalabi cited the poison gassing of the Kurdish village of Halabja in 1988 as an example of the challenge facing investigators. "We haven't quite figured out which military unit did what," he said. "How many people exactly were killed? All this kind of stuff. It's just general information that we have."

Allawi warned that the process could drag on, as it has with similar tribunals elsewhere. "We will show that justice will prevail ultimately, regardless of how long it will take to be implemented," he said.

If Hussein, whose palaces and assets have been confiscated by U.S. forces, cannot afford a lawyer, the government will pay for one, Allawi said with a smile. "We assure you that it will be a just trial and a fair trial, unlike the trials that he afflicted on his enemies, on the Iraqi people," he said.

Justice Minister Malik Douhan Hasan said Hussein could be represented by a foreign lawyer only if an association of Iraqi lawyers agreed. Hussein's daughters, who live in Jordan, have reportedly hired foreign attorneys for their father.

Some Iraqi officials have voiced concerns that Hussein's trial, which the government has promised will be open to the public and the news media, will provide him with a forum to grandstand and possibly an opportunity to rally insurgents. But Chalabi said strict rules would be imposed to prevent defendants from using the proceedings as a soapbox.

A senior U.S. government lawyer in Baghdad, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was likely that lesser figures than Hussein would be tried first as part of the process of accumulating evidence and building cases against those in the top positions. The eventual charges against Hussein would likely focus on command decisions involving mass crimes against Kurds, Shiites and other ethnic and religious groups in Iraq, the lawyer said.

The other Iraqis to be formally handed over on Wednesday include Ali Hassan Majeed, also known as Chemical Ali, who reportedly gave the orders to use chemical weapons against Kurdish separatists in the late 1980s, as well as Hussein's two half-brothers, Barzan Ibrahim Hassan and Watban Ibrahim Hassan, and Hussein's personal secretary, Abid Hamid Mahmud. All were on the U.S. military's list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis and have been in captivity for at least six months.

U.S. and Iraqi officials familiar with aspects of Hussein's interrogation, which was conducted by the CIA and the FBI, said the former president did not provide extensive information, prompting the White House and the Pentagon to agree to the request for a transfer of legal custody. The officials said some of Hussein's aides had been more cooperative. Although transcripts of their interrogation sessions cannot be admitted as evidence at the tribunal, they can be used to help investigators assemble evidence and locate witnesses.