Saddam judge ousted

The United States will maintain its enlarged force in Iraq at current levels until at least mid -2007, the top US general in the Middle East said yesterday, as Washington scrambles to prevent all-out sectarian war.

The Iraqi government said it had secured the dismissal of the chief judge trying Saddam Hussein for genocide after he said last week that the former Iraqi president was not a dictator.

General John Abizaid's comments came as Shi'ite politicians from the ruling coalition told a raucous parliament session that it was time to re-evaluate the American presence in Iraq.

"I think that this level will probably have to be sustained through the spring, and then we'll re-evaluate," Mr Abizaid told reporters in Washington. As chief of Central Command, Mr Abizaid is responsible for US forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the war crimes court had agreed to replace judge Abdullah al-Amiri. The court could not be immediately reached to confirm this, and a US official close to the court was unaware of any change.

"We have asked the court to replace the judge because he has lost his neutrality after he made comments saying Saddam is not a dictator," Mr Dabbagh said. "The court told us he has already been replaced."

The court presided by Amiri is trying Saddam, his cousin Ali Hassan al-Majeed, known as Chemical Ali, and five others for war crimes and those against humanity for their role in the 1988 Anfal campaign against ethnic Kurds. Saddam and Majeed also face the graver charge of genocide.