Khasawenah quits as lawyer for Saddam Hussein

Ziad al-Khasawenah, chairman of the defense team for the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, resigned from his post and accused certain American lawyers on the team of trying to take over the defense measures.

Khasawenah said that on Tuesday that he telephoned Mrs. Sajidah Kheirallah, wife of the former Iraqi president, and notified her of his decision to resign from the presidency of the committee. He added that he explained to her that the reason behind his resignation is that certain American lawyers inside the defense commission want to control to defendant team and to isolate their Arab colleagues in this committee.

Among the American figures in the defense commission was the former American Attorney General Ramsey Clark. Al-Khasawenah indicated that each of Clark and another American lawyer Kurtz Dubbler showed unease over his statements in which he criticized the American occupation of Iraq besides his continued criticism of the interim government supported by the Americans in Iraq.

The team in defense of Saddam is composed of 1500 lawyers as volunteers, as well as more than 22 senior lawyers who came from several countries including the USA, France, Jordan, Iraq and Libya. No date was specified for the trial of the Iraq president who is currently hailed in an American prison in his country.