A Dutch businessman accused of selling Saddam Hussein ingredients for chemical weapons used against Iraqi Kurds appeared in court today to face charges of complicity in war crimes and genocide.
Prosecutors say Frans van Anraat (62) supplied thousands of tonnes of agents for poison gas the former Iraqi government used in the 1980-1988 war with Iran and against its own Kurdish civilians, including an attack on the town of Halabja in 1988.
UN weapons inspection agencies have described Van Anraat as one of the most important middlemen in Iraq's acquisition of chemical weapons raw materials.
"It was known since the mid-1980s that the Iraqi government was using poison gas in the war against Iran and against its own population," prosecutor Fred Teeven said as he outlined charges at a pre-trial hearing in Rotterdam.
Saddam and his feared cousin Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali", face trial for war crimes, including the Halabja attack, at a special tribunal in Iraq.
Mr Van Anraat, the first Dutchman to be tried on genocide- and war crimes-related charges, faces up to life in prison if convicted. The trial proper is likely to begin later this year.