Iraqi PM 'refused' U.S. call to delay execution

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) - Iraq's prime minister said Tuesday that he turned down a U.S. request to delay Saddam Hussein's hanging because he wanted to show Iraqis that no deal would let the former dictator escape punishment."The situation in the country was shaky with many rumors about possible deals betweem Saddam and the government," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told reporters."These rumors, which were starter by Saddam's defense lawyers, created tension among the people, and we felt the necessity of terminating this man who was troublesome in his life and troublesome in his death."Hussein, 69, was hanged December 30 afer being convicted for his role in a 1982 massacre in Dujail, a town north of Baghdad.