Government determined to hang Saddam aides

Baghdad: Iraq is determined to execute two of Saddam Hussain's henchmen "in a few days", a government spokesman said on Tuesday, defying international calls to stay their hanging.

"There are some technical issues. The government is determined to carry out the verdict given by the Iraqi court," said Ali Al Dabbagh, spokesman for Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki.

"We are going to execute them in a few days. I can't set a date but we are going to take a decision. The prime minister is to take a decision in a few days," Al Dabbagh told journalists.

Former secret police chief Barzan Al Tikriti and revolutionary court judge Awad Ahmad Al Bandar, were also convicted along with Saddam of crimes against humanity.