Internet firm lines up Saddam site for eBay auction

AN internet domain company based in Panama is auctioning off the domain name Saddam.com on eBay this week.

Web Management had acquired Saddam.com only a few weeks ago with plans to hold the domain name as a long-term investment. But the firm said today that large numbers of unsolicited offers from around the world prompted the decision to auction the domain.

The company said it "acknowledges the inherent controversy" in selling a domain name associated with the former Iraqi president who is on trial for genocide, but "believes, however, that the domain name will be a valuable brand for the right buyer".

Martin Milagros, Web Management's vice president of marketing, said: "We are not concerned about Saddam.com ending up in the wrong hands or being used for malicious purposes.

"According to eBay rules, the buyer cannot be on the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control list or from any country that is under embargo by the US.

Mr Milagros added that the ideal buyer would be a film studio or production company planning a creative project based on Saddam's life. According to the company, there is no record that Saddam.com has ever been used.

After only one day bidding had already reached 1530 and Web Management said it expected to receive a five-figure bid by the auction's end tomorrow.