[JURIST] A defense lawyer for ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein [JURIST news archive] said Monday that the Iraqi members of the defense team will attend the next session of the trial set to resume on Tuesday. Earlier this month Hussein, four co-defendants and defense lawyers boycotted trial proceedings [JURIST report] before the Iraqi High Criminal Court – formerly the Iraqi Special Tribunal [official website] – in protest against new chief judge Ra'uf Rasheed Abdel-Rahman [BBC profile, JURIST report]. Defense lawyers have filed a formal motion seeking the disqualification [JURIST report] of Abdel-Rahman. Chief Saddam defense lawyer Khalil Dulaimi said over the weekend that he was petitioning the court [JURIST report] to delay Tuesday's session due to the increasing security concerns in Iraq, but at this point it seems the hearing will go ahead.

Khamis al-Obeidi indicated that foreign lawyers working with the defense team – including former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark – will not be in attendance at Tuesday's session because of the latest spate of violence in the country [JURIST report], with attendant curfews, but insisted they will "attend the following sessions". AP has more.