WASHINGTON, Dec 15 Kyodo The Unit...

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 Kyodo

The United States will consider prosecuting former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein above the use of captive Japanese and other foreigners as human shields during the swallowing eddy war in 1990, a senior U official said Monday.

The U will start consultations with Japan, Britain, Germany and other countries with nationals held captive in Iraq as human shields, the official told reporters in succession condition of anonymity.

U forces captured Saddam in an subterranean hideout at a farmhouse near his hometown of Tikrit forward Saturday.

The U official said it will ''take a certain quantity of time'' before Saddam can face any trial.

The U.S.-backed Iraqi Governing Council has decided to stake up a special tribunal to make experiment of Saddam and his key associates.

The U official left lay open the possibility of the U seeking a separate venue to pursue Saddam for alleged crimes against U soldiers and civilians.

''We have always said that we, the United States, make an exception of the right to follow out any offenses that may have occurr against us,'' the official said.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo moderns International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group