Iran takes court action against Saddam over war
AFP
Date: 05-27-06
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iran has filed a lawsuit against ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein for his regime's 1980s war against Tehran, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in a joint statement with his Iraqi counterpart.
"The two sides, noting the crimes committed by Saddam Hussein's regime in its aggression against the people of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait, confirmed the need to seek justice for that," the statement read.
"To this end the Iranian Republic has passed on to the Foreign Ministry of Iraq a complaint against Saddam and his agents for examination by the Iraqi High Tribunal", where Saddam already faces charges of crimes against humanity, the statement added.
The document did not list any specific charges Iran wished to bring against Saddam or any of his aides.
Relations between Iran and Iraq, which fought a bloody war from 1980-1988, have improved dramatically since the fall of Saddam and the coming to power of Iraq's long disenfranchised Shiite majority -- many of whose leaders once sought refuge in Iran.
The ex-president and seven co-defendants are currently on trial for the 1980s killing of nearly 150 Shiite villagers in Dujail, after a botched assassination attempt was carried out in the village against Saddam.
Mottaki was in Baghdad on Friday during which he pledged his support for Iraq's new government and promised to aid its reconstruction effort.
On Saturday, the Iranian diplomat went to the Shiite holy city of Najaf, south of the capital, to pray in the Imam Ali shrine, one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites.
He visited with a number of religious leaders, including Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who have a great deal of influence on Iraqi politics.
"Our visit to Ayatollah al-Sistani was not political, but it was just to visit the mausoleum of Imam Ali and religious figures," said Mottaki. "Sistani has an important position and is well-known for preserving the unity of Iraq."
Source
About headlines and content that has changed after it was added to this site - see disclaimer here
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.