New York: The United States has plans to create a special tribunal of Iraqi judges to try Saddam Hussein for crimes against humanity if he is captured, State Department officials and administration legal advisers were on August 1 quoted as saying.

"We're looking for an Iraqi-led process to deal with these abuses," a senior State Department official told the 'New York Times'. "It's important that we bring ownership of these matters to the Iraqi people."

The official, who 'Times' said spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the administration had ruled out seeking a broad-based international tribunal or a United Nations-led effort to try Hussein. However, the official said, the Iraqis who would lead the court could seek assistance from other Arab countries or elsewhere.

"But it will be up to them," the official said. "The Iraqis will play the undisputed leadership role in this process."

As military officials sound more optimistic that an increasing number of tips from Iraqis will help locate Hussein, discussion within the administration over how to deal with the ousted Iraqi leader, if captured, has accelerated in recent days, the paper reported.

PTI