As a former Kurdish guerrilla commander, Talibani was particularly despised by Saddam to the point where Saddam once offered amnesty to every Kurdish fighter except him.

Now, with the Kurds securing a strong second place in elections last month and the victorious Shiite having chosen Ibrahim al-Jaafari as prime minister, Talabani, 71, is the favorite for the presidency, The Times of London said.

If Saddam is convicted of war crimes -- including the slaughter of some 182,000 Kurds -- as president, Talabani would sign his execution warrant. But that creates a problem.

"Because as a lawyer, I signed an international appeal against executions and now this gentleman will be sentenced to death, and Iraqi people want to sentence him, to kill him. What can I do?" Talabani said.