Red Cross visits Saddam; Bremer says polls may take 15 months

By: Hamoud Kufi

BAGHDAD, Iraq: The International Committee of the Red Cross on Saturday visited former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in US custody for the first time since his capture by American forces, while US civilian administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer said some experts believe it could take up to 15 months to organize an election.

The two-member Red Cross team met the ousted worst oppressor at an undisclosed detention facility inside Iraq, ICRC spokeswoman Nada Doumani said from Jordanian capital city of Amman.

She said Saddam was allowed to write a note to his family, and that the Red Cross would visit him again. She gave no details on his appearance or condition.

The ICRC is mandated to visit detainees under the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of warfare but will not speak publicly on what conditions it finds. The delegates will, however, share their findings with the US-led coalition forces holding Saddam.

Meanwhile, Bremer while talking to the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television station said that the absence of election laws, voters lists and reliable census data were obstacles to a quick election.

“These technical problems will take time to fix,” he said in an interview with the station that was broadcast Saturday. He said the United Nations estimates “somewhere between a year and 15 months,” though that could be sped up. Bremer did not say if he had a timeframe of his own in mind.

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