Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein will be treated according to the Geneva Conventions and under protections for prisoners of war, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said.

In an interview to CBS-60 Minutes, Rumsfeld said this while replying to a question whether Saddam would be tortured or treated very harshly in case he refuses to cooperate during interrogation.

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Rumsfeld replied that the use of the word 'torture' in how the US military will treat this person 'is unfortunate'.

"We don't torture people," said Rumsfeld. "Here is a man who has tortured to death tens of thousands of people and committed rape and brutality."

"A more vicious and brutal dictator," he said, "would be difficult to find in our lifetime. But I just told you he would be treated according to the Geneva Conventions and under the protections for prisoners of war."

Asked whether it was true that Iran helped in the capture of Saddam, Rumsfeld said, "Not to my knowledge. I have certainly not heard anything that even begins to suggest that."