"I call on all Iraqis, Arabs and Kurds, to forgive, reconcile and shake hands," Saddam said in the court after he questioned the day's third witness who testified against him in the genocide trial.

The former president, usually known for his temper and outbursts, was calm and composed in the dock, as three witnesses testified how his forces massacred relatives and fellow villagers in northern Iraq during the 1988 Anfal campaign.

On Sunday, Saddam was sentenced to death by hanging for ordering the killing of 148 Shiite villagers in the village of Dujail where he escaped an assassination attempt in 1982.