Governor in Iraq says negotiating Saddam burial

TIKRIT, Iraq, Dec 30 (Reuters) The governor of Saddam Hussein's native province of Salahaddin said today he was told by the Iraqi government to attend the former president's burial in Baghdad along with the head of Saddam's tribe.

But Governor Mohammed al-Qaisi told Reuters he and Saddam's tribe were negotiating to have the body returned to his family village of Awja near Tikrit.

They had rejected an invitation by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government to attend a quick burial of the former strongman in Baghdad.

His Albu Nasir tribe wants him buried in Awja, near the graves of his two sons Uday and Qusay who were killed in 2003 by US troops.

''We are still in discussions with the authorities over his burial as we want to receive his body and bury it in Awja,'' Qaisi said.

Saddam's eldest daughter Raghd, currently living in Jordan, had earlier said she wanted her father's body to be temporarily buried in Yemen until Iraq was ''liberated''.

REUTERS AKJ VV1512