Briton interviews Hussein

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- President Saddam Hussein met with a retired British legislator Sunday and their conversation will be broadcast within the next day or two, the former legislator said.\nThe Iraqi leader has not given an interview with a journalist in 12 years. Tony Benn, an anti-war activist and a veteran of Prime Minister Tony Blair's governing Labor Party, told a news conference the interview was filmed by a television crew from the Iraqi presidency. He said it would be available to any television station that pledged to show it in its entirety.\nHe did not say which television station was going to air it.\nBenn, 77, who was leaving for Britain Sunday night, declined to give details of the Iraqi president's remarks.\nThe Briton said he did not come to Baghdad as a guest of the Iraqi government. He said he paid for his own air fare and his hotel.\nHe said he had asked for the interview in September and only heard two weeks ago that his request was approved.\nBenn told reporters he asked Saddam whether Iraq possessed any arms of mass destruction and whether it had any links to the terrorist al Qaeda network, which is accused of responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks.\nBenn would not say how Saddam answered the questions, but Iraq has repeatedly denied both accusations.\n"I do believe that it is possible to halt the march to war," said Benn, referring to U.S. and British threats to disarm Iraq by force if it doesn't get rid of its proscribed weapons.