TWO DEFENDANTS IN THE TRIAL OF SADDAM HUSSEIN MADE THEIR CLOSING ARGUMENTS TUESDAY, BUT THE JUDGE THEN ADJOURNED FOR NEARLY TWO WEEKS IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE A BOYCOTT OF THE COURT BY THE FORMER IRAQI LEADER AND HIS LAWYERS. CHIEF JUDGE RAOUF ABDEL-RAHMAN SAID THE COURT WOULD RESUME ON JULY 24 AND WARNED THAT IF THE LAWYERS DID NOT AGREE TO RETURN BY THAT TIME, COURT-APPOINTED LAWYERS WOULD MAKE THE FINAL ARGUMENTS FOR SADDAM AND THREE OTHER TOP DEFENDANTS IN THE CASE. «THE ABSENCE OF THE ORIGINAL LAWYERS TO DEFEND THE DEFENDANT WILL HARM THE CLIENT'S CASE,» ABDEL-RAHMAN SAID, THEN ADDED, ADDRESSING THE LAWYERS WHO WERE PRESENT, «TELL YOUR COLLEAGUES ... THAT COURT-APPOINTED LAWYERS WILL PRESENT THE CLOSING ARGUMENTS IF THEY DO NOT ATTEND.» IT WAS NOT CLEAR IF THE LONG ADJOURNMENT WILL MEAN A DELAY IN THE ISSUING OF VERDICTS IN THE 9-MONTH-OLD TRIAL, WHICH COURT OFFICIALS HAD PREDICTED WOULD TAKE PLACE IN MID-AUGUST, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTED.
