Lawyers this week called for more international assistance in the tribunal that will try seized Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.


The move came as the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC) - a Stockholm-based organisation formed by the International Bar Association and American Bar Association to rebuild legal institutions in post-conflict states - unveiled a programme to help rebuild Iraq's legal structure, in which the Bar Council of England and Wales will play a central role.



Last week, Iraq's governing council announced it would set up a special Iraqi civilian court staffed by five judges to try former Baathists.



ILAC's executive director, Swedish lawyer Christian Ahlund, said: 'This idea of having a more or less entirely Iraqi tribunal is unfortunate and there needs to be stronger international influence.'



A Law Society spokeswoman said that although Iraq was the right place for Saddam to be tried, 'some kind of international competence for evidence and forensics should be allowed for'.



While the US supports the death penalty for Saddam, the UK does not.



Mr Ahlund said: 'My personal view as a European and a believer in the European Convention on Human Rights is that the era of the death penalty is over and in civilised countries the death penalty should be done away with.'



Funded by the Department for International Development, the Bar Council's ILAC project will work with the Iraqi Bar Association to bolster legal education, self-regulation and professional standards.



Other ILAC co-ordinated projects in Iraq include training judges in judicial independence, training judicial officials, and training on international human rights law.