Saddam's lawyers say court trying deposed leader is 'dysfunctional'

Members of &to=http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/368/12132_hussein.html' target=_blank>Saddam Hussein's defense team on Wednesday said the Iraqi court trying the deposed leader for war crimes was "dysfunctional" and cast doubt on its ability to conduct a fair trial.

"In a dysfunctional court, you can't have a fair trial, and without a fair trial, you're going to have real misery (in Iraq)," former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark, one of Saddam's lawyers, said as he arrived in the Jordanian capital from Baghdad.

Saddam's chief Iraqi lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi said: "We expect the court to collapse very soon."

Saleh Armouti, president of the Jordanian Bar Association and a member of Saddam's defense team, said the lawyers had met with the toppled leader for 4Ѕ hours. "His spirits are very high," Armouti said.

"We discussed all the issues of the case, the defense arguments, and the legality of the court," he said.

Armouti said the lawyers and witnesses alike faced unspecified threats. He declined to elaborate, but said the lawyers sought "to transfer the court to a neutral area, where we can guarantee a fair trial... ."