World sheds few tears for Saddam, but anger over death penalty

FRANCE: There was mixed global reaction to the execution of Saddam Hussein, with Washington hailing a "milestone" for Iraq, European leaders criticising use of the death penalty and the Arab world split between anger and approval.

US President George W. Bush, who was asleep at his Texas ranch when the hanging was carried out in Baghdad, said the former Iraqi dictator had received the kind of justice he denied his victims.

"Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself," Bush said.

Shiite Iran, which Saddam attacked in the 1980s, welcomed his hanging, as did Kuwait which Iraq invaded in 1990.

"The execution verdict of the court that tried Saddam has made thousands of Iranian, Iraqi and Kuwaiti victims happy," said an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman.

Kuwait's acting Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah said Saddam was "an enemy to the Iraqi people and the Islamic nation." Russia, which opposed the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, and the Vatican both expressed regret at the hanging which some Muslim leaders said would exacerbate the violence in Iraq.

Britain, the main US ally in Iraq, said Saddam had been "held to account" but reiterated its opposition to the death penalty.

Israel, which came under Iraqi missile attack in 1991, said Saddam had brought about his own demise. "This was a man who caused a great deal of harm to his people and who was a major threat to Israel," said Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres.

There was sadness and anger in many areas of the Arab world, with Libya declaring three days of national mourning and the ruling Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas calling the execution "a political assassination."

In Saudi Arabia, the official Saudi Press Agency voiced "surprise and dismay" that the hanging was carried out on the day of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

"The timing was wrong," echoed Mohammed Mahdi Akef, leader of Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood. "To execute him today is below any humane standards."

The 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called for calm and the Arab League lamented a "tragic end" to Saddam's regime, expressing hope it would not "contribute to further deterioration in the security situation".

Russia's foreign ministry noted that international calls for clemency had been ignored. "Unfortunately, the many appeals from representatives of various countries and international organisations for Iraq's authorities to hold back from capital punishment were not heard," said a ministry spokesman.

In Asia, India, which had warm ties with the Saddam regime, said it was disappointed by the execution, while Pakistan called it a sad event and Malaysia, a leading Muslim nation, warned it could trigger more bloodshed.

"A lot of people, the international community generally, are not in favour of the hanging and question the due process that took place," Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, whose country is current chair of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, told AFP.

Japan said it respected Iraq's decision to carry out the execution.

"Japan hopes Iraq will turn into a stable country and will continue supporting the country together with the international community," said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. European countries, while acknowledging Saddam's crimes, reacted critically to the death penalty as a matter of principle.

Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency of the European Union, stressed the European Union's consistent opposition to capital punishment. "It could also prove to be divisive for the future of Iraq especially since there has been serious criticism of the way the trial was conducted," Tuomioja added.

The Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, called on Iraq to abolish the death penalty, calling it "cruel and barbaric". Secretary General Terry Davis described the trial as a "missed opportunity ... for Iraq to join the civilized world."

France, a high profile opponent of the Iraq invasion, "calls like all its European partners for the universal abolition of the death penalty," a foreign ministry statement said. German Chancellor Angela Merkel her government's opposition to capital punishment, but added: "We respect the sentence."

Merkel told journalists her thoughts were with the Saddam's many innocent victims. "I hope for the people of Iraq that it can take the road of non-violence," she said. Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said he was concerned over tensions fanned in Iraq by the execution.

"From the first hours, we've seen that the consequences have been an increase in tensions and violence, as you could have predicted," Prodi was quoted by ANSA news agency as saying.

Prodi said on Friday "no fault can determine one man to be the bearer of death to another."

Spain likewise regretted the execution while acknowledging that Saddam had committed serious human rights violations.

Paris, Sunday, AFP