France on Wednesday reiterated its opposition to death penalty "under any circumstances" and called for a trial for Iraqi former president Saddam Hussein in compliance with the international law.

"We have noted that the American administration, which has acknowledged Saddam's status as war criminal, had decided to handover the former dictator to Iraqi authorities to bring him before the courts," said Cecil Pozzo di Borgo, deputy spokeswoman of French Foreign Ministry.

"It is now up to the Iraqi people to judge Saddam Hussein, in a trial that must abide by the rules of international law," she said.

Concerning the reinstatement of the death penalty declared by Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar in an interview published on Wednesday by the Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Awsat, Pozzo di Borgo said: "We are opposed to the application of the death penalty under any circumstances."

Death penalty was suspended in Iraq by former chief of US Central Command (Centcom), General Tommy Franks, little after the beginning of the war leading to the fall of Saddam's regime in April 2003.

The US-led coalition adopted on June 12, 2003 the Iraqi Penal Code of 1969, maintaining however the proscription of the death penalty.

When Saddam was captured by the American forces in December 2003, the United Nations and the European Union had expressed their hostility in principle to the reestablishment of the death penalty.

Iraq's interim government took over legal custody from the US-led military of the ousted Iraqi president and other 11 top members of his regime on Wednesday. Saddam is expected to appearin a special Iraqi court on Thursday.

Source: Xinhua