Ja'afar Moussawi also confirmed that Saddam's defence team had been barred from visiting him and seven co-accused in jail, saying the lawyers had lost that right when they stormed out of court last week after clashing with the chief judge.

Saddam's chief counsel, Khalil Dulaimi, said on Sunday the team had been prevented from seeing their client and accused the court of being interested only in Saddam's speedy conviction.

Saddam and some of his former top aides have not attended the last two court sessions, having followed the lead of their defence counsel who walked out of court on January 29. Three minor Baath party officials were barred from the last session for "causing chaos" outside the courtroom.

The trial has been beset by delays, postponements and courtroom chaos since it began in October.

The lawyers staged the walkout after a tough new chief judge, Raouf Abdel Rahman, ejected a member of their team and one of the defendants for refusing to be quiet.

Moussawi said the court would "take the appropriate action" if there was another no-show when the trial resumes on February 13.

Asked if forcing Saddam to attend was an option, he said: "Yes, this can be done under Iraqi law." But he did not specify whether that might mean physically dragging him into court.

Moussawi said if the defence team wanted to visit Saddam and his co-defendants they would have to apply through the court.

"The defence team has withdrawn. If they wanted to see their clients, why did they withdraw from the court?" he asked.

The defence has called for judge Abdel Rahman to step down, accusing him of bias against their clients, who are charged with the killing of 148 men from the Shia town of Dujail after a bid to assassinate Saddam there in 1982.