Iraqi defector condemned

A former Iraqi ambassador to Tunisia who defected to Britain was condemned to death by his tribe yesterday. President Saddam Hussein praised the decision, AP reports from Nicosia.

Hamed al-Jabouri defected to Britain with another former diplomat, Hisham al-Shawi, who served as ambassador to Canada. The Jabouris are a leading Sunni Muslim clan that has been a stalwart supporter of President Saddam's rule in the past.

But the clan appears to have clashed with the government in recent months and President Saddam is reported to have arrested many of its members.