Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's trial for crimes against humanity will resume today in Baghdad after a five-week break.

The trial will be held in a fortified Baghdad courtroom with former U.S. attorney general Ramsey Clark joining the team defending Iraq's overthrown president.

Clark will be joined by the former justice minister of Qatar, Najeeb al-Nauimi, lending an international aspect to proceedings which have until now been entirely Iraqi-run.

It was not clear if the chief judge of the trial, Rizgar Mohammed Amin, would allow Clark and Nauimi into the courtroom, but a spokeswoman for the defense team said their attendance had already been approved by U.S. advisers to the court.

Proceedings opened on Oct. 19, but the case was adjourned after one day to give defence lawyers more time to prepare. Saddam and seven co-defendants are on trial before Iraq's Special Tribunal inside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

The lawyers still involved in representing the eight defendants have agreed to return to court only after security promises were made, although the details of the protections that are being afforded to them have not been revealed.

Saddam and the others are accused of ordering and carrying out the deaths of 148 men from the town of Dujail, north of Baghdad, following a failed attempt on Saddam's life in 1982. If convicted, they could be sentenced to death by hanging.