Political leaders
Africa
* Libya: Moammar al-Qadhafi described Saddam's trial as illegitimate. He said, as a prisoner of war, international conventions prohibit his trial. Qaddafi added that America and Britain must be put on trial in this matter. <22> Libya has declared three days of national mourning after the execution declaring Saddam a "prisoner of war." Flags were lowered to half mast on public buildings and all festivities for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha which begins this weekend have been cancelled.<23>
* South Africa: "South Africa remains convinced that his execution is not the panacea to the current political problems in Iraq, but could fuel violence in an already volatile situation," said Ronnie Mamoepa, the foreign affairs spokesperson.<24>
Americas
* Brazil: "The (Brazilian) government does not believe carrying out this sentence will contribute to bringing peace to Iraq."– Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release.<25>
* Canada: A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said Canada joined other countries in wishing a peaceful and prosper future for Iraq.<26>
* United States: "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." – President George W. Bush.<27>
Asia
* Afghanistan: "The execution of the former Iraqi president is the work of Iraq's government. We wish the Iraqi people prosperity, happiness and success. Eid is the day of happiness, the day of goodness, the day of reconciliation, not the day of revenge." – Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai.
* Cambodia: Cambodia, still struggling to begin its own long-delayed trials for atrocities committed in the 1970s by the genocidal Khmer Rouge, said the execution should not have taken place. "Democracy has grown very much in Iraq, but in the end the death penalty still exists," information minister Khieu Kanharith said. "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.<28>
* Republic of China: China said Iraqi people should decide their affairs and hoped that the strife-torn nation can realise stability and development soon. <29>
* India: "We had already expressed the hope that the execution would not be carried out. We are disappointed that it has been." – Minister of external affairs Pranab Mukherjee.<30>
o Indian National Congress, the left parties and the Samajwadi Party condemned the execution.<31>
o K. Subrahmanyam, Head of the Indian government's task force on global strategic developments, attributed the Government's official reaction to "short-sighted vote bank politics and said that the execution "was by an Iraqi court for an Iraqi crime - for killing Iraqi Shias".
o "Saddam deserved nothing less than death. The hanging should be seen as a victory for justice." -- Mirza Mohammad Athar, President of the All India Shia Personal Law Board.<32>
* Indonesia: The government in the world's largest Muslim nation, Indonesia, said it hoped Saddam's execution "will not further separate conflicting parties in the effort toward a national reconciliation, which is a precondition in recovering Iraqi sovereignty".
o Fauzan Al Anshori, from the Islamic group of Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia, said Bush, too, should stand trial. "Given the crime blamed on Saddam, it is unfair if George Bush is not also put on an international tribunal," he said. "Saddam was executed for killings 148 people, Shiite Muslims, while Bush is responsible for the killing of about 600,000 Iraqis since the March 2003 invasion."<33>
* Iran: "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."<34> - Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Reza Asefi.
* Israel: "Saddam Hussein 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,"<23> said Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
* 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."<25> — Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tomohiko Taniguchi
* Kazakhstan: " It is with deep regret that we learned of the execution of Saddam Hussein. While his actions may have been heinous and inexcusable, we do not believe that is just cause for an even more heinous act against humanity" Foreign Ministry Spokesman Evgeni Sagbiyev <35>
* 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 <36>
* Pakistan: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz termed execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein a “sad incident” and and hoped the security situation in the country would not be further exacerbated.<37>
o Liaqat Baloch, a leader of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, a coalition of six religious parties, told The Associated Press by phone that Saddam had not received justice. "We have no sympathy with Saddam Hussein, but we will also say that he did not get justice. The execution of Saddam Hussein will further destabilize Iraq. There will be more sectarian violence in Iraq, and we believe that the execution of Saddam Hussein is part of the American plan to disintegrate Iraq," he added.<38>
* Palestinian National Authority Palestine: 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. <39>
* Philippines: “He was judged by Muslims. So what’s the beef? I don’t think there will be repercussions here (the Philippines). We have nothing to do with the death. Maybe the US, for alleged influence of the Americans over the (outcome of the) case...it's about time that the dictators and mass murderers are taught a lesson.” -- Rep. Antonio Cuenco, the first Philippine government-identified official to react on Saddam's execution. <40> To date, there is no official statement yet from the Philippine government.
* Sri Lanka: 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. <41>
* 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.<42>
Europe
* Belgium: The Belgian Foreign Minister, Karel De Gucht, repeated his objection to the execution and death penalty in general. He also expressed the hope that the violence in Iraq would come to an end, now that the personification of the cruel regime had died. <43>
* Denmark: The Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that Denmark condemned the actions of Saddam Hussein, but did not support the capital punishment. "This has been pointed out to the Iraqi government on several occasions and this is also the reason we have not aided the Iraqi Special Tribunal against him", he said in a statement. Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller said to Danish television that he'd rather seen that Saddam Hussein had been tried at an international tribunal.<44> <45>
* Finland: Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Erkki Tuomioja, replied that the European Union opposes capital punishment. "Even if there are no doubts that Saddam Hussein is guilty of very serious crimes against humanity, very serious comments have been made about the court process in Iraq." <46>
* France: "France calls upon all Iraqis to look towards the future and work towards reconciliation and national unity. Now more than ever, the objective should be a return to full sovereignty and stability in Iraq. France, which like the rest of its European partners advocates the universal abolition of capital punishment, notes the execution of Saddam Hussein on Saturday. That decision was made by the people and the sovereign authorities of Iraq." — French Foreign Ministry <25>
* Germany: "The federal government of Germany is against capital punishment, no matter where. However there is no doubt about the crimes of Saddam Hussein." — German Minister of Department for Foreign Affairs Gernot Erler <47>
This is also the tenor of a statement which Foreign Minister of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier wants to release the same day.
* Greece: "As known, Greece, together with all member states of the European Union, has abolished the death penalty. The execution of dictator Saddam Hussein is one more dramatic moment added to the troubled history of Iraq. We hope that it is the last. We wish and hope the friendly Iraqi people will follow the route to reconciliation and ethnic unanimity. The only route that can lead to a peaceful, secure and democratic future." Dora Bakoyannis, Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs <48>
* Republic of Ireland: "We have to accept the right of the Iraqi judiciary to hand down a sentence. Ireland however, in common with its EU partners, does not approve of capital punishment. I believe Saddam Hussein should have ended his years behind bars for his heinous crimes." - Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern<49>
* Italy: "Italy is against the death penalty and so even in such a dramatic case as Saddam Hussein, we still think that the death penalty must not be put into action." - Prime Minister Romano Prodi<36>
* Netherlands: "It's understandable that Saddam Hussein received the most severe punishment under Iraqi law. Nevertheless, we are opposed to the death penalty, which is inhumane and barbaric; even in Hussein's case, the sentence should not have been carried out." <50> — Deputy Prime Minister Gerrit Zalm
* Norway: The Norwegian foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that Norway regrets that the execution was carried out, and that the execution does not solve the political problems of Iraq. However, "it is important that Iraq's former dictator was tried and condemned for some of his crimes against humanity. It would be desirable that the remaining crimes that he committed also be tried in court". <51>
* Portugal: "The Portuguese Government reaffirms its total opposition to death penalty in all cases and circumstances."<52>
* Russia: "Regrettably, repeated calls by representatives of various nations and international organisations to the Iraqi authorities to refrain from capital punishment were not heard. Saddam Hussein's execution can lead to further aggravation of the military and political situation and the growth of ethnic and confessional tensions."<53> — Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin
* Serbia: "We have seen that the situation in Iraq is chaotic. I am afraid this might cause even worse consequences. Serbia strongly objects to the death penalty. Calls against execution made by non-governmental organization such as Amnesty International should have been accepted"<54> — Minister of Justice Zoran Stojković
* Spain: "All dictators must answer for their crimes, but I cannot support this kind of punishment, I am against the death penalty."<55> — Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
* Sweden: "Sweden and the European Union are without exception against the death penalty. I have earlier expressed the wish for the death sentence of Saddam Hussein being commuted to life in prison."<55> — Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt
* Switzerland: "Saddam Hussein was a criminal, but the DFA disapproves of his execution. ... Switzerland advocates the abolition of the death penalty in the context of both its multilateral and in its bilateral diplomacy."<56> — Federal Department of Foreign Affairs press release
* United Kingdom: "I welcome the fact that Saddam Hussein has been tried by an Iraqi court for at least some of the appalling crimes he committed against the Iraqi people. He has now been held to account <...> The British government does not support the use of the death penalty, in Iraq or anywhere else <...> We have made our position very clear to the Iraqi authorities, but we respect their decision as that of a sovereign nation."<57> — Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett
* Vatican City: "An execution is always tragic news, reason for sadness, even in the case of a person who is guilty of grave crimes." - Holy See spokesperson Federico Lombardi.<58>
o "
a crime with another crime...The death penalty is not a natural death. And no one can give death, not even the state." - Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.<58>
Oceania
* Australia: "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."<59> — Prime Minister John Howard
o "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."<23> — Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
* New Zealand: "New Zealand does not support the death penalty as a matter of principle. We acknowledge, however, that Saddam Hussein’s execution occurred within the framework of Iraqi law, and as a response to his crimes against humanity. New Zealand regarded the guilty verdict as appropriate. The task now is for the people of Iraq to look forward and work for a stable unified Iraqi nation."<60> - Minister Trevor Mallard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Execution_of_Saddam_Hussein#Political_leaders
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