US officials and the Iraqi government have agreed to transfer legal custody of Saddam Hussein in a week, a US official said Monday.
The ousted Iraqi president, however, will remain in the hands of U.S. troops, because Iraq doesn't have a prison strong enough to hold him, a U.S. official said last week, according to The AP.
The Iraqi Special Tribunal, established six months ago, is expected to try Saddam for atrocities committed during his 23 years as president, including the deaths of some 300,000 people.
On his part, Iraqo prime minister Iyad Allawi said Saddam "will be kept by Iraqis..."We may ask a multinational force to be involved in the protection of the outside, of the outskirts of the prison, but definitely he will be under the jurisdiction of Iraq," he said.
"You will see him move and you will know where he is," Allawi told a small group of reporters on Sunday. (Albawaba.com)
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