Nine Expelled From Tribunal

Nine staff members of the Iraqi Special Tribunal, preparing to try Saddam Hussein, have been dismissed because of their links to the Baath Party.

There are also another 19 cases reportedly under review.

A system of De-Baathification, similar to the De-Nazification of Germany, is being employed in Iraq.

The executive director of the Supreme National Commission for de-Baathification, Ali al-Lami, said that the nine held administrative jobs such as; the witness security protection program and tribunal security.

Amongst the remaining 19 being considered for expulsion are a number of judges, including chief judge Raid Juhi.

The head of the government committee in charge of purging former Baath officials is Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi, he was once a Pentagon favorite.

His spokesman, Entifadh Qanbar, is quoted as saying:

"We believe that many Baathists have infiltrated the special tribunal and they should be dismissed. The reasons behind the delay in the trial of Saddam is the presence of Baathists in the special tribunal, and they represent an obstacle to the trial of the former regime members."

The need for speed in bringing Saddam Hussein to trial is now keenly felt. The longer the delay goes on, the worse the situation in respect of the body count becomes as Iraq lurches towards civil war.

The trial is being seen as a palliative for Iraq's ills.

To my view, a more effective palliative would have been an effective, efficient and well thought through reconstruction programme in the aftermath of the "regime change" operation.

However, as the people of Iraq and the rest of the world are now learning to their cost, there was no effective post decapitation plan in place.

Let us trust that there are no other "regime change" plans being considered.