Friday, November 10, 2006
Mubarak warns against Saddam's execution
Saddam Hussein
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has become the first Arab leader to warn against carrying out the execution of Saddam Hussein. Mubarak was quoted as telling editors of state-run Egyptian newspapers on Thursday that hanging the former Iraqi leader would lead to more sectarian strife in Iraq. He said: "Carrying out this verdict will explode violence like waterfalls in Iraq. "The verdict will transform [Iraq] into blood pools and lead to a deepening of the sectarian and ethnic conflicts."
The strong comment by Mubarak, a regional heavyweight and a top US ally, came amid mixed reactions among Arabs on Saddam's death sentence. Leaders in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, another regional powerhouse and US ally, have remained largely quiet about Saddam since his sentencing. The presidents of Israel, Libya and Syria have also avoided commenting on the verdict. Iran and Kuwait have supported it.
The strong comment by Mubarak, a regional heavyweight and a top US ally, came amid mixed reactions among Arabs on Saddam's death sentence. Leaders in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, another regional powerhouse and US ally, have remained largely quiet about Saddam since his sentencing. The presidents of Israel, Libya and Syria have also avoided commenting on the verdict. Iran and Kuwait have supported it.
