The internal affairs of a country should not be intervened by anyone outside, Russian Foreign Ministry said Sunday in an official comment warning against outside influence in the trial and verdict of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

"Moscow thinks that a trial of any citizen of any country, no matter what official position he or she might have had, is an internal affair that must not be influenced by external opinions," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said.

The ministry believes that "any decision, especially the one made in such a sensitive case as the trial of the former Iraqi leader, must be immune to the current political situation and be based on law," he said.

"The present-day situation in Iraq is not easy, so it is of paramount importance to avoid steps that would deepen the split in the Iraqi society and complicate the search for national accord through a broad dialog involving all political, ethnic and religious forces," Kamynin said.

"The judgment has triggered contradictory feelings in Iraq and a number of Arab countries and caused fears that the (Iraqi) instability may escalate," he added.

Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging on Nov. 5 after being found guilty of crimes against humanity for the Dujail case.

Source: Xinhua