'Bush is the real criminal'

Three decades of tyranny caught up with Saddam Hussein today as he appeared in court to be charged with genocide and crimes against humanity.

The former Iraqi dictator was immediately defiant, attacking the court hearing as "theatre" and claiming that the "real criminal is Bush". He described Kuwaitis as "dogs" and said he invaded the country for the Iraqi people. When read the charge of waging war on his neighbour, Saddam replied: "How can Iraq have invaded Kuwait when Kuwait is part of Iraq?" But less than 14 months after he was ousted
by US and British troops, the man responsible for three Gulf wars and the massacre of hundreds of thousands of his own people was finally brought to justice.

Wearing a grey jacket, white shirt, brown trousers and polished black shoes and with a chain around his waist, he shuffled into court in handcuffs for the hearing, which lasted about 30 minutes. The handcuffs were taken off when he went in. He was not wearing a tie for fear it could be used in a suicide attempt.

When asked to identify himself, he answered: "I am Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq." Looking assured and confident, at times stroking his grey-flecked beard and joining his palms together in a prayer-like gesture, Saddam gesticulated repeatedly at the judge reading out the charges against him.

He jabbed his finger as he lectured the judge on the illegality of the court. His legs crossed, he also took notes on a small sheet of paper. The judge responded to Saddam's repeated claims that he was still president by telling him he had been stripped of his authority by the coalition, using powers allowed under the Geneva Convention. The proceedings took place in a heavily-fortified makeshift courtroom in one of Saddam's former palaces in Baghdad's Green Zone. The ex-dictator was first flown by helicopter from the US-run Camp Cropper jail near Baghdad airport and then loaded into an armoured bus. Escorted by four US Humvees and an ambulance, it drove him the the doors of the court.

The former leader, flanked by two Iraqi security guards, was then led through a door where six other Iraqi guards waited. US army helicopters hovered over the four-mile square area all morning and roads around the area were guarded by tanks. Amid fears that the 67-year-old's words could trigger fresh uprisings by his supporters, US military censors refused to allow his voice to be broadcast. The judge's face was obscured in TV pictures shown around the world.

Across Baghdad, the streets were noticeably quieter than normal as millions gathered round TV screens to see their former ruler answer charges. No pictures of him had been shown since he was taken into US custody after being captured by American troops near his home town of Tikrit last December.

Saddam had noticeably lost weight, had heavy bags under his eyes and at first looked nervous and confused. But as the judge began to read out the charges, he began wagging his finger at him and demanding to know why he was there.

"What is this court? Who are you? Whose jurisdiction is this?" he asked the judge. Told that the charges against him would include the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which led to the first Gulf war, he said. "How can you, as an Iraqi, ask me about the occupation of Kuwait? These dogs were trying to destroy Iraq, selling our women as prostitutes for $10 a time."

At that point the judge, who sat with a Koran in front of him, said: "Let me remind you that this is a court of law. Do not use that kind of language here." When another charge accusing him of ordering the gassing of thousands of Kurds was read out, Saddam was equally dismissive. This was nothing more than media reports, he said.

As the hearing drew to a close Saddam was asked to sign documents saying he understood the proceedings against him and asking if he wanted legal counsel. He said he would not sign anything until he had access to a lawyer. He then said: "Hallas" - Arabic for finished. The judge finally signed the papers acknowledging the court appearance himself.

Asked if he could afford a lawyer, Saddam cast a sly semi-grin round the courtroom and said: " Everybody tells me the Americans say that I have millions of dollars."

The hearing represents a cathartic moment for the Iraqi people and comes only three days after control of the country was handed to a new government by the US-led coalition authority. The full hearing - billed by the new Iraqi government as the "trial of the century" - will begin next year and could take years.

Saddam's 11 top henchmen are also facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity at the US Camp Victory base. They include former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz; Ali Hasan al-Majid, known as Chemical Ali; and former vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan. The charges cover some of the most notorious events of Saddam's 24-year dictatorship.

Yesterday, he and his colleagues were transferred to Iraqi legal - but not custodial - control, a formality which means they are no longer prisoners of war and subject to rights under the Geneva Conventions, but criminal defendants whose treatment will be in accordance with Iraqi law. Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawer, Iraq's new president, said yesterday that the new government had decided to reinstate the death penalty, which had been suspended during the US occupation.

Saddam will remain in a US-controlled jail, guarded by Americans, until the Iraqis are ready to take physical custody of him. After the hearing, his handcuffs were fixed back to his chains and he was led out to a waiting US helicopter.