He's a uniter, not a 

Published December 20, 2004 5:39PM (EST)

Saddam throws in his two cents:

"Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein appealed to Iraqis from his prison cell to unite against what he called U.S. efforts to sow sectarian divisions, his lawyers said on Sunday."

"Ziad Khasawneh, a Jordanian lawyer and spokesman for Saddam's defense team, told reporters: 'President Saddam Hussein urged the unity of his Iraqi people, regardless of their religious and ethnic creed, to confront U.S. plans to divide their country on sectarian grounds.'"

"Saddam relayed his messages through Khalil Dulaimi, an Iraqi lawyer and member of the defense counsel who met the ousted leader for more than four hours on Thursday -- Saddam's first access to lawyers since he was arrested a year ago."

"Dulaimi's identity was until Sunday kept secret by Saddam's Amman-based legal team for fears over his life after he escaped an assassination attempt two weeks ago, defense lawyers said. Saddam, who is denied access to news, was eager to know what had happened in Iraq since his captivity, Khasawneh said."


By Geraldine Sealey

Geraldine Sealey is senior news editor at Salon.com.

MORE FROM Geraldine Sealey


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

War Room