Roundup of editorials on Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel-Palestinians.

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The following editorial appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday, May 1:

WHERE TO TRY TOP IRAQIS?

The U.S. government has sent 660 suspected terrorists from Afghanistan and 41 other countries to its detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says no Iraqi prisoners will be sent there. So what's to be done with Tariq Aziz, Farouk Hijazi and other captured Iraqi bigwigs who might have been involved in atrocities perpetrated by Saddam Hussein's regime? And what will the United States do with Saddam himself and his two sons if they are ever found? Amazingly, the administration does not seem to have thought through these important questions.

Two groups of Iraqis are being detained. First and most important are the dozen or so top officials such as Aziz, the deputy prime minister, and Hijazi, who helped run the Iraqi intelligence service. The second group comprises about 7,000 Iraqis _ foot soldiers and others. Most of these people are being released.

Rumsfeld said last week that Bush administration lawyers had not decided whether any of the top officials will face criminal charges or where _ or in what sort of court _ they will be tried. Trying them in the United States, said Rumsfeld, is "not our first choice." Some in the administration have suggested that they be tried in Iraqi tribunals supported by the United States. Creating an independent court system in Iraq is a marvelous idea, but it could take years to achieve. We have a better proposal.

The administration has acknowledged that the United Nations has a role to play in the reconstruction of Iraq, and the best way for the U.S. to deal with Iraqis suspected of crimes against humanity and other atrocities is to bring them before a court established by the U.N.