IRAQ:Saddam Hussein and his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majeed, known as "Chemical Ali", discussed killing thousands of people with chemical weapons before unleashing them on Kurds in 1988, according to tapes played yesterday in a trial of former Iraqi officials.
Nine days after Saddam's hanging, his front-row seat in the dock was conspicuously empty, but Majeed and five other Baath party officials remain on trial for their roles in the 1988 Anfal, or Spoils of War, campaign in northern Iraq.
"I will strike them with chemical weapons and kill them all," a voice, identified by prosecutors as that of Majeed, is heard saying.
"Who is going to say anything? The international community? A curse on the international community!" the voice continued.
"Yes, it's effective, especially on those who don't wear a mask immediately, as we understand," another voice, identified as that of Saddam, is heard saying on another tape.
"Sir, does it exterminate thousands?" a voice asks back.
"Yes, it exterminates thousands and forces them not to eat or drink and they will have to evacuate their homes without taking anything with them, until we can finally purge them," the voice identified as Saddam answers.
Prosecutors did not explain who ordered the recordings or when or why they were made and court officials could not elaborate.
Audio tapes have been introduced in the court before, and Saddam is believed to have recorded some of his meetings.
Prosecutors said 180,000 people were killed, many of them gassed. Many Kurds regret the chief suspect can no longer face justice for his role in the campaign against them, but they hope others share his fate on the gallows.
Judge Muhammad al-Ureybi, in his first order of business, formally dropped charges of genocide and crimes against humanity against Saddam. "In virtue of the confirmation of the death of defendant Saddam Hussein, the court decided to finally stop legal procedures against defendant Saddam Hussein, according to the Iraqi penal procedures law," the judge told the court. - (Reuters)