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SADDAM HUSSEIN has suffered a minor stroke, his lawyers claimed today. And they said the former Iraqi dictator could die before he stands trial. The multi-national legal team is still waiting for permission to see Saddam, but said they had information from the Red Cross that his health had deteriorated. Earlier this month, Saddam appeared in an Iraqi courtroom, when he was read seven charges against him that may lead to a formal indictment for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Jordanian lawyer Mohammed al-Rashdan has written to Salem Chalebi, head of the Iraqi prosecuting authorities, on behalf of the defence team, demanding access to their client. He said: "Our information is he's in very poor heath. We understand our client has had a brain scan to discover how badly he has been affected by the stroke. We believe he could die because of his health problems." [more]