Updated on Sunday, May 01, 2005, 00:00 IST

Jerusalem, May 01: US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld paid a secret visit to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and offered him freedom and possible return to public life if he made a televised request to armed groups for a ceasefire with allied forces, a media report said.

Saddam promptly rejected the offer, Ynetnews reported quoting a London based al-Quds al-Arabi daily.

The visit came during Rumsfeld's visit to Iraq about two weeks ago and was known only to a few Iraqi officials in Jordan, the Arab daily reported quoting sources.

Some two weeks ago the British Telegraph had reported that Iraqi gunmen were offered a "deal" to halt all terror attacks in return for a reduced sentence for Saddam, likely to be sentenced to death.

However, an Iraqi government official is said to believe that Saddam's Baath Party will request to return to politics, the report said.

Bureau Report