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Iraq-Jordan
Saddam Should Face International Court - Del Ponte
2004-03-18
Fresh from her scintillating victory over Milosevic, Carla sets her sights even higher!
GENEVA (Reuters) - Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein should face an international court, Chief United Nations war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte said Thursday. His trial should not be held in Iraq, as it would be difficult to avoid "political interference," she told a news conference.

Saddam, arrested by U.S. occupation forces in December, is accused of atrocities including a poison gas attack by aircraft which killed 5,000 Kurds in Halabja 16 years ago. "My opinion is that an ad hoc international criminal tribunal will be the best instrument to have a fair trial against Saddam Hussein," she said.
Who gives a rip about your opinion?
The court "could be near Iraq," she said. This would make the collection and transfer of evidence easier.
We could do it with an Iraqi tribunal, too, which would make hearing evidence easier yet.
"It is difficult to conduct the trial if politics interfere. To avoid interference from outside, I think an international court could serve best," she said.
"Preferably one run by me, me, ME!"
Del Ponte, a former Swiss attorney-general, is chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Now heading the prosecution of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, she was formerly chief prosecutor of the U.N. war crimes tribunal for Rwanda investigating the 1994 genocide.
She botched that too. Wonder if Jacques, Dominic, Carla & Co are trying to set the fix on Sammy?
Posted by:Steve White

#16  let go so he can enjoy his villa on the French Riviera

Why not? He paid Chirac enough for it.
Posted by: ed   2004-3-18 11:36:25 PM  

#15  I believe that was Deborah who sat under the palm tree and judged the people. I could be wrong.

I doubt Ms. Del Ponte will ever accompany any general to a battle.

I would add the epithet "spineless bubblehead", but it seems redundant.
Posted by: Quana   2004-3-18 11:17:13 PM  

#14  Thanks for the input, Carla.
By the way, who the hell are you?
Posted by: tu3031   2004-3-18 10:08:37 PM  

#13  Ah, the "international courts". If they get hold of Saddam, he'll spend five years waiting for his trial, two years sitting in a "court", and then get let go so he can enjoy his villa on the French Riviera.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2004-3-18 9:37:44 PM  

#12  Ms. Del Ponte may be a veritable Solomon sitting under a palm tree but as for:

"The issue of judicial authority over Saddam ,,, is a real and serious question",

I've seen more complex jurisdictional issues resolved by a competent judge in 15 minutes.
Posted by: Matt   2004-3-18 9:18:56 PM  

#11  "To avoid interference from outside, I think an international court could serve best."

The "international court" this presumptuous woman would try Saddam in, is itself the ultimate in outside interference. Saddam's fate belongs in the hands of the Iraqi people, and whatever fate they choose for him--no matter what it is--is intrinsically more just, and more legitimate, than anything any "international court" could impose (or would impose if, by some strange chance, it had the balls to impose anything at all).

And what's with all these countries that want to be Saddam's judges now, anyway? For a decade they were convinced Saddam and his WMD were a menace, yet they didn't want to do anything about it--and even wanted to do away with the UN sanctions. Now, they're convinced Saddam "never" had any WMD, yet they want to put him on trial before Europe's finest, most incorruptible judges?

Hypocrisy like that makes my head spin.

WHK: Stuff a sock in it, why don'tcha? Rantburg is no place for supercilious, prissy twits.
Posted by: Dave D.   2004-3-18 8:30:05 PM  

#10  And the Iraqis have earned it.
Posted by: whitecollar redneck   2004-3-18 8:28:38 PM  

#9  For Saddam anything less than wormfood would be an injustice.
Posted by: whitecollar redneck   2004-3-18 8:28:14 PM  

#8  Considering the news that has been recently coming out about the UN food-for-oil scandal, I don't think I could really trust anyone associated with the UN to 'administer justice' in a case that involves Hussein.

In the US, we would call it 'conflict of interest'. Since she seems to prefer the term 'politcal interference', I might suggest that would also be an excellent term to apply to the idea of a UN administered trial.
Posted by: Kathy K   2004-3-18 8:19:06 PM  

#7  serve no purpose? I think they convey our communal snort of derision that the UN and Ms. Del Ponte in particular, are the founts of judicial and geopolitical wisdom they pretend to be.
I, for one, would trust the quick decision of a US infantryman with an M-16 to deal more justice than the UN. Call me bad...I'll cry myself to sleep over it, be assured
Posted by: Frank G   2004-3-18 8:00:38 PM  

#6  Please, all.
Ms. Del Ponte has a long, distinguished and proven career as a prosecutor, judge and jurist, and has been widely praised by citizens of many nations -- including those of the United States -- for her fairness, humanity, judgement and legal expertise. The issue of judicial authority over Saddam -- now that the nation over which he held power no longer exists in any practical sense -- is a real and serious question, over which people of intelligence, judgement and good will can reasonably differ. The insults, 'ad hominem' arguments and unthinking slogans posted on this thread are unworthy, and serve no purpose.
Posted by: whk   2004-3-18 7:33:32 PM  

#5  Her ego and contract with the UN / ICT / Phrawnce must be running out. Is Chirac getting antsy about his financial dealings with Saddam finally seeing the light of day? I'm sure Carla would help him out - where the Iraqis might see things a tad differently.

What is it about the "international" institutions that breed such egomaniacal incompetents? Blix, ElBarradai, del Ponte, et al... When factoring in their productivity, they operate in the negative and, yet, command a bank of microphones for every utterance and salaries of significance. These darlings of the reality-challenged jet-set multi-culti crowd are losers - we don't need Mr Hair (Trump) to say it, "You're Fired, now Fuck Off and go find a real job - fucktard."

Lamers.
Posted by: .com   2004-3-18 7:18:48 PM  

#4  To avoid interference from outside, I think an international court could serve best," she said.

I can't be the only one to notice the utter vapidity of that statement. This is probably one of those "foreign leaders" the Ketchup Kid's been talking to.
Posted by: cpm   2004-3-18 6:57:51 PM  

#3  Good compromise, Mr. D. The Iraqis/Kuwaitis plant him and then the UN can try him in (big time)absentia.

Posted by: Matt   2004-3-18 6:31:06 PM  

#2  Perhaps after Iraq and Kuwait have their trials and EXECUTE their sentences, the UN will have its case prepared.
Posted by: Mr. Davis   2004-3-18 6:20:02 PM  

#1  Sorry, but no. We want Justice this time not another UN F*CKUP.....
Posted by: CrazyFool   2004-3-18 6:18:52 PM  

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