Amman, Nov. 5 (AP): Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis today to reject the sectarian violence ripping his country apart and to “not take revenge” on US invaders, his chief lawyer said after the ousted leader was sentenced to death.

“The message from President Saddam to his people came during a meeting in Baghdad this morning, just before the so-called Iraqi court issued its verdict in his trial,” Khalil al-Dulaimi said.

“His message to the Iraqi people was ‘pardon and do not take revenge on the invading nations and their people’,” al-Dulaimi said.

“The President also asked his countrymen to ‘unify in the face of sectarian strife’,” the lawyer said.

The former Iraqi leader shouted out in the court, condemning what he called the occupation of Iraq by US- and British-led coalition forces.

Al-Dulaimi said Saddam “knew that he would be sentenced to death and wanted me to pass on this message to the Iraqi people and to the whole world after the verdict was announced”.

“The President said that ‘Saddam Hussein won’t be defeated. It’s the men of Persia and those of the United States who will be’,” al-Dulaimi said.

“He said the people will remain strong and steadfast.”

Al-Dulaimi condemned the trial as a “farce”, alleging that the verdict was pre-plannned, unfair and null and said defence attorneys planned to appeal the verdict within 30 days, as Iraqi law stipulates.

“Since day one, we said the trial was politically motivated 100 per cent and that it’s completely illegal,” he said.