Asia respects Saddam's execution, but worries over violence
By Tony White,WNS Asia Bureau Chief
BEIJING - Key Asian nations said they respected Saddam Hussein's execution Saturday as a legal move by Iraq's new government, but worried that his hanging would not end the bloodshed in the country. Even countries that oppose the death penalty, like US ally Australia, called the execution a "significant moment" for the war-torn country. "No matter what one might think about the death penalty, and the government of Iraq is aware of the Australian government's position on capital punishment, we must also respect the right of sovereign states to pass judgement relating to crimes committed against their people, within their jurisdictions," Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a statement. "He has been brought to justice, following a process of fair trial and appeal, something he denied to countless thousands of victims of his regime." "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 judgement of history and pursuing a process of reconciliation now and in the future," Downer said. Japan, the other major US ally in the region, said Saddam's execution had been carried out within the rule of law. "This is a decision made by Iraq's new government on the rule of law," a foreign ministry official said. "We respect it." Both Australia and Japan contributed forces to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the ouster of Saddam, and Australia still has about 1,300 troops involved in operations in the area. Japan ended its historic deployment to Iraq in July - although its air force still provides flights into the country to assist the United Nations and the US-led coalition.
But Muslim-majority Malaysia, which currently heads the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, warned the hanging could trigger more violence in Iraq. "I think there will be repercussions. The only thing is we hope they will be able to contain this. Because the conflict is not going to end. This is not the answer," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar told AFP. Syed Hamid said there were divisions within the OIC, the world's largest Muslim grouping, on what Saddam's fate should have been. "There are divided views on it, but on the question of the need for reconciliation to bring the people back together, end violence and bring stability, there is a common feeling," he said. Thailand said it believed the execution had been carried out in accordance with Iraqi law, but Cambodia said the execution should not have taken place. Cambodia is still struggling to begin its own long-delayed trials for atrocities committed in the 1970s by the genocidal Khmer Rouge. "Democracy has grown very much in Iraq, but in the end the death penalty still exists," information minister Khieu Kanharith told AFP. "We do not support it because we have already abolished capital punishment. So we do not support the death penalty, but we support the process of finding justice for the people," he added.
India's former foreign minister Natwar Singh also said Saddam should not have been executed. "I think his life should have been spared and he should have been given life imprisonment. My own reaction is that it will arouse very strong passions in large parts of the world," he said. "I think that the prime minister and the foreign minister of India should categorically condemn this." In Singapore, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman said the execution was carried out in accordance with Iraqi law and judicial process. He added that Singapore hopes that the Iraqi people will now move on to deal with the many urgent problems facing Iraq.
posted by wnsworld @ 5:20 PM
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