Iraq's Aziz back in court without lawyers

The prosecutor in the trial of former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz called for a stiff penalty on Tuesday to ease the "hearts of the widows" of dozens of merchants he is charged with helping execute.

Aziz, the public face of Saddam Hussein's regime, entered the court wearing a grey suit and supported by a walking stick, a far cry from the once confident, cigar-smoking diplomat who exhibited faultless English, strong nerves and negotiating skills in Iraq's crises.

He was joined by his seven co-defendants in the case. The 72-year-old Aziz is reported to be in poor health.

His defense lawyers were not present, but it was not clear why.

The team of foreign lawyers who had agreed to defend Aziz, including French lawyer Jacques Verges, four Italian lawyers and a Lebanese-French attorney, were not granted visas for Baghdad, his Amman-based son Ziad Aziz said.

Verges has defended some of the world's most notorious figures, including Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie and Venezuelan terrorist "Carlos the Jackal.

"The charges relate to merchants who were killed after being accused of breaking price controls imposed in the wake of U.N.

sanctions on Iraq in 1990s.

"We ask that the court decides on a suitable punishment that will ease the hearts of the widows," prosecutor Adnan Ali said.

He said some family members of the merchants were killed.

"There was a systematic campaign planned under the cover of darkness.

Its villains were members of the Revolutionary Command Council and security agencies," Ali said.It is the first time Aziz, who also served as foreign minister under Saddam, has faced any charges since he gave himself up to U.S. troops in April 2003.

Easily recognized by his large glasses and white hair, Aziz played Iraq's top diplomatic role in the run-up to the 1991 Gulf War when he was foreign minister.
Plea of innocence
In his own defense, Aziz told the court on Tuesday that just because he was a member of council did not by itself implicate him in the killings.

"This is a selective process wrought by the personal motivations of those intent on destroying Aziz," Aziz said.

"It is a plot of personal revenge.

" The only Christian in Saddam's inner circle, Aziz rose to prominence in the world media around the time of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War.Aziz is being tried by the same judge who sentenced Saddam to death for his role in the killing of 148 Shiite civilians after an assassination attempt against him in 1982. Other defendants include Saddam's half brothers Watban Ibrahim al-Hassan, then interior minister, and Sabaawi Ibrahim al-Hassan, a former security official.Another was Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majeed or Chemical Ali, who entered the court wearing traditional Sunni chequered head dress.

Al-Majeed has already been sentenced to death in June for his role in Saddam's "Anfal" military campaign in the 1980s, in which tens of thousands of Kurds were killed.

Their executions have been delayed by legal wranglings. Aziz's lawyers had wanted his trial to be moved to Iraqi Kurdistan in the relatively quiet north of the country or to be transferred abroad to ensure it is not influenced by the Baghdad government.Aziz has appeared as a witness in earlier trials of Saddam-era officials. He featured prominently in Iraq's conflict with Iran from 1980-1988, helping to win U.S. support and to forge strong economic ties with the Soviet Union.A former finance minister, central bank governor and two senior Baath party members also faced the Iraqi High Tribunal.