WASHINGTON, Dec 14: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday accused the international community of shirking its obligation to help prosecute ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein by effectively boycotting his trial.

Without naming specific countries, Ms Rice said she was saddened many nations had done little to help prosecute Saddam. Many European states declined to cooperate because they oppose the use of the death penalty at the trial.

“All who expressed their devotion to human rights and the rule of law have a special obligation to help the Iraqis bring to justice one of the world’s most murderous tyrants,” she said in a speech to the Heritage Foundation think tank.

“The international community’s effective boycott of Saddam’s trial is only harming the Iraqi people who are now working to secure the hope of justice and freedom that Saddam denied them,” she added.

A State Department official declined to say which countries Ms Rice was referring to. But he pointed out that many nations had opposed the fact that if found guilty Saddam faced the death penalty which is outlawed across Europe.

“Being opposed to the death penalty and helping Iraqis to find out the truth and hold those accountable for war crimes are not mutually exclusive,” said the State Department official.

—Reuters