Former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz's lawyer Badi Aref Izzat said after a four-hour meeting with his client that he appears in good "heath and spirits". He also said that Aziz was unwilling to testify against Saddam Hussein at a future war crimes trial.

The lawyer also said that Aziz has been in custody since his surrender in the immediate aftermath of the US-led invasion and has not had the opportunity to see Saddam.

But Izzat said he did not know the exact place Aziz was being detained.

Aziz is an English-speaking Christian and former foreign minister, who was the ousted regime's best known spokesman.

(CRI.com December 25, 2004)