Saddam Tells Iraqis to Unite Against U.S.

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AMMAN, Jordan - From his prison cell, Saddam Hussein urged his compatriots to remain united against the U.S. occupation and warned that upcoming elections could divide the country, his lawyers said Sunday after the legal team's first meeting with the ousted Iraqi leader since his capture.

Iraqi lawyer Khalil al-Duleimi met with Saddam on Thursday, his Jordan-based legal team said, as the Iraqi government has begun to push forward the process for trying Saddam and 11 of his top deputies.

"Our representative in Iraq told us that the president warned the people of Iraq and the Arabs to beware of the American scheme aimed at splitting Iraq into sectarian and religious divisions and weakening the (Arab) nation," said Bushra Khalil, a Lebanese member of Saddam's defense team of 20 attorneys.

"The president sent recommendations to the Iraqi people to remain united and not fall in the trap of America's slogans," she said. "He said Kurds, Arabs, Shiites, Sunnis and Christians are all Iraqis who all have to stand united against the American plot."

AP