Iraqi PM says hopes Saddam gets "what he deserves"

BAGHDAD, Nov 4 (Reuters) Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said today he hoped former president Saddam Hussein gets ''what he deserves'' for what he did to the Iraqi people when he is judged and sentenced for crimes against humanity tomorrow.

With Saddam's lawyers warning of violence, Maliki, who leads a government dominated by Shi'ites and Kurds, called for calm and urged Iraqis to ''express their happiness in a way that takes into consideration the security situation''.

''The sentence will be given tomorrow, God willing, and our wish is that the sentence will be what this man deserves, for what he did to the Iraqi people,'' Maliki told a news conference after meeting tribal leaders from mainly Shi'ite southern Iraq.

''We will call on the Iraqi people ... for calm and discipline,'' he said.

Iraqi security forces were on alert and a curfew was expected to keep Baghdad locked down tomorrow. If convicted, the ousted Iraqi president could be sentenced to hang.

Saddam, 69, and seven co-accused have been charged with crimes against humanity for the killing of 148 Shi'ite villagers after an attempt on his life in the town of Dujail in 1982.

Various Sunni Arab insurgent groups see him as a figurehead in their resistance against US troops.

Maliki said last month he hoped Saddam would be hanged soon, in comments that fuelled criticism that his government was interfering with the independence of the court.

REUTERS AKJ RN2115