LAWYERS for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein complained yesterday that plans to start his trial next month gave him too little time to prepare his defence.

Plans to hold former Iraq president Saddam Hussein’s trial next month gives too little time to his defence team to prepare his case, a family lawyer complained today.

The Iraqi government announced today that the trial of Saddam Hussein will begin on October 19.

A top Sunni Arab negotiator said today that no agreement has been reached on the draft constitution and called on Iraqis to reject it in the October 15th referendum.

The Iraqi government today criticised Jordan for allegedly allowing Saddam Hussein’s family to fund a network seeking to destabilise Iraq.

IRAQI politicians tried to reach compromises with Sunni Arab leaders yesterday on the country’s draft constitution, one day after synchronised bombings near at a bus station and nearby hospital killed up to 43 people in the capital.

In a rare move, the Iraqi government criticised the state-run television network today for “whipping up emotions” by airing footage from the bombings at a Baghdad bus station and accused a leading Arab satellite station of airing false reports.

Iraqi politicians tried to reach compromises with Sunni Arab leaders today on the country’s draft constitution, one day after synchronised bombings near at a bus station and nearby hospital killed up to 43 people in the capital.

Iraqi politicians tried to reach compromises with Sunni Arab leaders today in the country’s draft constitution, one day after synchronised bombings at a bus station and nearby hospital killed up to 43 people in the capital Baghdad.

IRAQ’S parliament yesterday agreed a seven-day extension for leaders to complete a draft constitution, after politicians failed to reach Monday’s deadline.

The Iraqi parliament delayed a session today on whether to approve a new constitution hours before a deadline as faction leaders failed in last-minute talks to agree on a federated state and other divisive issues.

Al-Qaida in Iraq said in a web posting today that it had killed Egypt’s top envoy in Iraq, showing a video of the blindfolded diplomat identifying himself. The video did not show his death.

THE Iraqi government said yesterday that some rebels had approached it looking for peace terms and repeated its willingness to negotiate with groups which renounced violence and which had not killed Iraqis.

FREED French journalist Florence Aubenas, looking thinner but radiant after five months as a captive in Iraq, arrived home to a joyful welcome last night and told of being held in a cellar, tied, blindfolded and given little water.