Red Cross to visit Saddam Hussein

Saddam is now entitled to rights under the Geneva Conventions

The Red Cross says it has permission from the US authorities to visit Saddam Hussein, who was captured by US forces in Iraq on 13 December.

"We have the green light for the visit, but we don't yet know when it will take place," ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger told a Swiss newspaper.

US forces formally accepted last month that the ousted Iraqi leader was a prisoner-of-war.

The ICRC is responsible for overseeing the treatment of POWs worldwide.

Pentagon officials have said Saddam Hussein is entitled to all the rights under the Geneva Conventions.

An ICRC spokesman, Florian Westphal, said a visit "ought to take place as soon as possible".

Speaking to the Tribune de Geneve newspaper, Mr Kellenberger said the ICRC would not comment publicly on conditions of detention.

"Why make an exception for him? He's a prisoner of war," he said, referring to Saddam Hussein.

Prisoner's rights

ICRC visits include checks on accommodation, food and health care, as well as prisoners' treatment by guards.

Red Cross workers also insist on having a confidential interview with a prisoner, not directly monitored by guards.

Prisoners' rights under the Third Geneva Convention include:

• Protection against violence, intimidation, insults and public curiosity

• Protection against pressure of any kind during interrogation

• Food rations and drinking water sufficient to keep prisoner in good health

• Adequate clothing and washing facilities

• Adequate medical treatment.

American TV pictures which showed Saddam Hussein undergoing a medical examination after his capture triggered a controversy, with some critics arguing that the footage exposed him to public curiosity.

The US said the pictures were shown to demonstrate to the Iraqi people that they no longer had anything to fear.