execution of Saddam Hussein Quotes

Japan: "We have acknowledged that the judgment has been made according to due process and pay respect to the legal procedures that the Iraqi government has taken. That said, what is most important in our view is to make this sentence not a new source of conflict but of reconciliation between the Iraqi people." — Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tomohiko Taniguchi

Thailand: Kitti Wasinondh, a spokesman at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "We are optimistic that it will not lead to any further violence." Former Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan, a Muslim who served under the Democrat Party, said he expected the execution would increase tension in the war on terror because of Saddam's many followers.

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.

Labor has a universal position of opposition to the death penalty both at home and abroad. .. It is not possible in our view to be selective in the application of this policy.

I believe there is something quite heroic about a country that is going through the pain and the suffering that Iraq is going through, yet still extends due process to somebody who was a tyrant and brutal suppressor and murderer of his people. That is the mark of a country that is trying against fearful odds to embrace democracy.

Malaysia: "The international community is not in favour of the hanging and questions the due process that took place. We are surprised that the hanging went ahead notwithstanding. I think there will be repercussions. This is not the answer" - Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar

joined other countries in wishing a peaceful and prosperous future for Iraq.

The people of Iraq now know that their brutal dictator will never come back to lead them. While many will continue to grieve over their personal loss under his rule, his death marks an important step in consigning his tyrannical regime to the judgment of history and pursuing a process of reconciliation now and in the future.

Palestinian Authority: In the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the execution of Saddam Hussein sent many Palestinians into mourning. Palestinians struggled to come to terms with the demise of their steadfast ally. In the West Bank town of Bethlehem locals opened a house of condolence, where dozens of people gathered to mourn Saddam. The organizers hung Iraqi flags, pictures of Hussein and played Iraqi revolutionary songs.

Pakistan: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz termed execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein a "sad incident" and hoped the security situation in the country would not be further exacerbated.

For reasons of principles the execution of ex-Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and concern for the country's stability.

In Sri Lanka, a Muslim government minister also condemned the execution for offending Muslims around the start of Eid al-Adha. "As a Muslim, I feel the execution could have been avoided," said Hussein Bhaila, who declined to comment on the judgment against the former dictator. **Muslim government minster,

With regard to Saddam's execution, it amounts to a victory of the Iraqi people as they were the winners of his fall [...] Saddam's regime was overthrown because the Iraqi people did not support him. It is crystal clear that the United States should not misinterpret his fall and take the credit to itself. [...] Investigation into the Iraqi invasion in Iran (1980-1988) and in Kuwait (1990) could have disclosed the US involvement in Saddam's crimes and therefore the Americans preferred to close the case earlier.

Libya: Libyan declared 3 days mourning and cancelled public celebrations around the Eid religious holiday, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said that Saddam Hussein was a prisoner of war held by the US occupation forces, and as such should have been tried in the US or Britain, rather than in an Iraqi puppet regime's kangaroo court.

European Union:European Commissioner for Development Aid Louis Michel stated that the execution of Saddam Hussein is against the fundamental principles of the European Union. The EU is against the death penalty, whatever are the crimes committed. "It is not a big day for democracy," Michel stated to the RTBF. "The EU is in fierce opposition to the death penalty and there is no exception to that fundamental principle. Cruelty is not to be answered with cruelty. I believe that there were other possible means to revenge the cruelties committed by Saddam. The death penalty is not the right answer." He fears that the execution of Saddam has a negative impact and that the former dictator will emerge as a martyr. "You don't fight barbarism with acts that I deem as barbaric. The death penalty is not compatible with democracy," he told Reuters.