Saddam capture expected to end Iraqi 'nightmare'

Saddam capture expected to end Iraqi 'nightmare'

Agencies, Undated

Celebratory gunfire erupted in Baghdad on Sunday and world leaders hailed the capture of deposed leader Saddam Hussein, saying it could mark the beginning of a peaceful new future for Iraq.

Even France, Russia, Germany and the world's most populous Muslim nation Indonesia, all fierce opponents of the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam, lauded his arrest by American forces who seized him on Saturday without firing a shot.

In Washington, while welcoming the news, U.S. President George W. Bush warned on Sunday that ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's arrest "does not mean the end of violence" against U.S. troops.

Bush promised on Sunday that Saddam, will "face the justice he denied to millions."

In Indonesia, warnings were again sounded of retaliation by Iraqis against the perceived "imperialism" of the United States.

"It is our hope that his capture will help speed up the process of reconciliation and the transition toward a democratic government of Iraq, where sovereignty is restored to the hands of the Iraqi people," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Marty Natalegawa said Sunday.

He said he hoped the capture "will mark the beginning of the end of the suffering that the Iraqi people have endured under the Saddam regime".

Sjafiie Maarif, chairman of the country's second largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah said that while Saddam "was not a good leader ... I question whether the United States has the right to invade Iraq, a sovereign country, and capture its leader."

"Of course, the capture has been claimed by the United States as a success, but it has violated too many world norms, and ... won't affect the situation in the Middle East, unless the U.S. adopts clear policies on the Palestine issue," Sjafiie said.

Sooner or later, the capture of Saddam would also lead to retaliation from "Iraqi people" who consider that the U.S. and its allies were practicing imperialism in their country, he said.

He predicted, however, that retaliation against the U.S. would not involve all the countries in the Middle East considering that "these Arabic countries are not all of the same opinion in viewing the war in Iraq."

Asked whether the capture of Saddam would have an impact on Indonesia as the world's largest Muslim country, Sjafiie said: "I guess people understand that the war in Iraq had nothing to do with religious issues."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed the capture of Saddam.

"The shadow of Saddam has finally lifted from the Iraqi people," Blair said in brief comments at his 10 Downing St. office. "We give thanks for that, but let this be more than a cause simply for rejoicing.

In the Iraqi capital, celebratory gunfire rang out, radios played festive music, drivers honked their horns and passengers on buses and trucks chanted "They got Saddam, they got Saddam!"

But not everyone was happy and some Iraqis said they wanted proof that the man in U.S. custody was really Saddam.

Elsewhere in the Arab world, many expressed joy that Saddam would never return to rule Iraq, while others were disappointed that he was captured by Americans and saw his surrender as a stain on Arab honor.

"It is a big defeat for all Arabs and Muslims," said Raji Hassan, 29, watching TV with friends in a Gaza City coffee shop. The Palestinian Authority declined official comment.

French President Jacques Chirac, one of the leading anti-war voices, was "delighted" at the arrest, said his spokeswoman Catherine Colonna.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose ties to America also suffered strain because of his opposition to the war, congratulated Bush.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said his country believed the arrest would improve security in Iraq and help settle the political situation there.

Among the other nations welcoming the capture were Australia, Japan, Israel, the Philippines, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, Portugal and Austria. The European Union also hailed the news.