The International Committee of the Red Cross says Saddam Hussein should be treated like any other prisoner of war and that it expected to be able to visit him. "The ICRC should have access to all persons protected by the Geneva conventions, including prisoners of war," the Swiss-based agency said in a brief statement yesterday.
US-led troops captured him on Saturday near his home town of Tikrit. The US commander in Iraq, Lieut-Gen Ricardo Sanchez, said he was being accorded all the rights of a prisoner of war. "We are going to treat him humanely; we are going to treat him according to the Geneva Conventions," he said. The conventions on the treatment of prisoners of war say the ICRC must be given access to them, but do not say how soon after their capture this must happen.
It declined to comment on whether TV pictures showing a bearded and dirty Saddam shortly after his capture amounted to a violation of the conventions, which prohibit exposing prisoners to "public curiosity". It said if it had any misgivings, these would be expressed directly to Washington.- (Reuters)