20 June 2004	Sunday	01 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

BAGHDAD, June 19: US senators said on Saturday that interim Iraqi prime minister Iyad Allawi had told them that Baghdad would not try to take custody of former president Saddam Hussein before the country was properly ready to try him.

Senator Joe Biden, a Democrat from Delaware, discussed the issue with Mr Allawi in Baghdad along with fellow Democrat and Senate minority leader Tom Daschle and Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina.

"Saddam and others should be tried by an Iraqi court, by an Iraqi government in front of the Iraqi people," said Biden in response to a reporter's question about whether a plan for Saddam and other high-level detainees was discussed.

"I can relay confidence that they (the Iraqis) are not going to attempt to gain custody and try him before they are fully ready, before they are ready to put on a case, before they are fully prepared to be able to demonstrate to their people that this is fair trail and demonstrate to the region and the world," Mr Biden said.

"Not only him but a number of others, major players across the board."

Mr Biden said he was satisfied the process would not be rushed.

Earlier this week, Iyad Allawi said Washington would hand Saddam over to the new Iraqi government for trial before it transfers sovereignty to Iraq on June 30.

But US President George Bush has since said Baghdad must enact tougher security measures before US forces would transfer Saddam over for trial.-AFP