Captive Saddam a new headache for Washington

Viktor Liktovkin, Military Commentator, RIA Novosti, Moscow

The euphoria that enveloped the White House and the Pentagon at the beginning of this week after the arrest of the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, will gradually start to fade away.

First, it is not clear what should be done to the prisoner. He will most likely refuse to admit that there were any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which was the official reason for starting the Iraqi war. But even if this occurs, the ex- dictator's statements must be confirmed by facts. But if there never were any weapons, or they were destroyed long ago, how can they be shown to the world?

Second, as a captive, Saddam appears to be too great a burden for the authorities of the United States. For example, the International Red Cross, which considers Hussein to be a prisoner of war entitled to all of the guarantees of the Geneva Convention of 1949, has begun to check how the convention is being observed. It requires the conditions of a prisoner of war's living to be no less favorable than those of the troops holding the prisoner.

In this case, the convention also requires that the way of life and customs of prisoners of war be taken into account. Any type of reprisal is forbidden, without exception. Washington hardly needs to hear any more accusations that some global rights organizations have leveled at it for deliberately and grossly violating international humanitarian law.

The convention must be followed so that, figuratively speaking, Saddam does not lose a hair from his head or rather, he does not become seriously ill or die from heart disease, inflammation of the lungs or any other common illness for his age. If he died in captivity, the majority of fundamentalist Islamic communities would view him as a martyr and a righteous man, who was killed in the fight against the infidel. Neither Washington nor any other Western capital, especially in those countries with large Muslim populations, needs this.

There are many questions about the ex-tyrant's trial. The question is not whether he will be tried in Washington or Baghdad. Saddam's crimes against his own people, the Kurdish population in Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait will be sufficient for any honest judicial system. However, all these crimes need to be documented and entered into the minutes, thousands of pieces of evidence have to be gathered and legally categorized, while the prisoner has to see the evidence and open judicial procedure begun.

It is not a fact that all this will be finished quickly and that all of Hussein's crime will be proved. It is clear that peace and calm in Iraq will not be established for a very long time, at least while there are still American troops in Iraq and the country is ruled from Washington.