Will the U.S. Get Stuck With the Bill for Saddam's Trial?
The trial of Saddam Hussein will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Will the U.S. get stuck paying for it? Very possibly, if its tried before the new Iraqi War Crimes Tribunal and the death penalty is on the table:
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan closed the door last week to U.N. support for any tribunal that included the death penalty as a punishment. "This tribunal will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, if it's done professionally," says Scheffer. "It's extremely important that [the Iraqis] recognize that imposing the death penalty will shut the door to any U.N. or European effort to support the court."
Without funding from the international community, the United States could find itself in the awkward role of underwriting an Iraqi tribunal, thus creating the unwanted appearance of U.S. control.
Some more problems with an Iraqi tribunal:
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