Saddam's tale of romance to be TV mini-series

Iraqi producers are planning a television version of a novel believed to have been written by Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi daily al-Thawra reported yesterday that the television script of Zabibah and the King would be supervised by Mizahim al-Baiati. The novel was published anonymously.

"It will be a series of 20 parts produced by the Iraqi satellite channel and the production process is on the way," Mr al- Baiati told al-Thawra. He said it would be a success in the Arab world because of the "powerful meanings and thoughts indicated in the novel".

Zabibah and the King has been a hot topic in Iraq since it appeared last year. Publicity for it was unusual, withadverts appearing days before it reached bookshops. Since then, it has been in high demand.

The novel tells of a king who falls in love with a poor married woman called Zabibah. Other kings are jealous of his close relationship with the common people, as symbolised by Zabibah, causing them to plot against him. She is raped and killed on 17 January ­ the date of the start of the 1991 Gulf War that forced Iraq from Kuwait.

Most Iraqis believe Saddam was the author but some say that his son Odai was the author because of unusually frank sex scenes. Odai is known as a womaniser. The CIA reportedly believes that Saddam at least closely supervised the novel's production and has reportedly studied the novel for insights into his thinking.