Judges delay verdict in Saddam's trial

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Judges have postponed the verdict in the war-crimes trial of Saddam Hussein, the court announced Tuesday, a delay that comes amid growing concern that any ruling would inflame Iraq's deadly sectarian divide.

The tribunal faces a dilemma: A death sentence for the former leader could enrage Sunnis, while anything less is sure to spark Shiite fury.

It is a far cry from the hopes of many U.S. and Iraqi officials when the trial began nearly a year ago. They touted the tribunal as a way to help heal Iraq's divisions by exposing atrocities during Saddam's regime, establishing justice and opening the door for reconciliation.

"I think it would be a positive, not a negative," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday when asked about the prospect of a verdict, which had been expected on Oct. 16. "It would just bring closure to a chapter that was an unhappy and unpleasant and particularly vicious regime."

In the past year, however, Shiite-Sunni divisions have grown, with thousands killed by Sunni insurgents and death squads from both sects.

After nine months of often stormy court sessions, many Sunnis — who are a minority in Iraq but were dominant under Saddam — still see the tribunal as a show trial by the new Shiite leadership to take revenge on the ousted president.

Saddam and seven co-defendants face possible execution by hanging if found guilty on charges of crimes against humanity over a crackdown on Shiites in the town of Dujail launched in 1982. A five-judge panel will decide the ruling by a majority vote.

The judges adjourned July 27 to consider their ruling. A court official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the verdict could be put off until late October or early November.