Saddam's old palaces to become hotels

Baghdad: Hidden behind imposing walls, Saddam Hussain's palaces have provided the perfect makeshift barracks for soldiers of the US army during the past six years.

Now, though, with American troops withdrawing from Iraq's urban areas, nobody is quite sure what to do with them.

"We should keep them as historical artefacts. They should be rebuilt for whatever need arises — a museum documenting Saddam's cruelty, a hospital, a mall, an army base," reckons Ahmad Khalid, a former resident of Baghdad's Azamiyah district.

Babel's governors are also reported to be considering plans to turn a palace into a hotel.

"We want this place to send a message to the dictators of the world,'' said Hussam Khadim, the palace's manager.

"The message is that they will lose their riches that come from stealing and oppressing their people."

One man who is watching the future of Saddam's palaces with interest is Geoff Hann of Surrey-based Hinterland Travel.

"In the future, I think these palaces will prove popular, as there is going to be a Saddam circuit for foreign tourists."