Roundup: Most Latin American nations opposed to hanging of Saddam

The hanging of Iraqi former President Saddam Hussein sparked on Saturday a chorus of opposition in Latin America, with Argentina and several other nations condemning the execution.

A statement issued by Argentine Foreign Ministry said Argentine President Nestor Kirchner denounced Saddam's execution on behalf of the Argentine government.

The Argentine government believed that the slaying of Saddam would by no means be conducive to both the peace process in Iraq and the reconciliation between various social groups in the country, it added.

The Argentine government has always supported dialogue among Iraqi groups so that they can live together in peace, maintain the integrity of Iraqi society and exercise state sovereignty, it said.

Kirchner's view was shared by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who pointed out that the death of Saddam would not help resolve the problem of violence in Iraq.

Only when Iraqis are able to make decisions by themselves rather than by outsiders will the Iraqi issue be resolved, Lula said, adding that the occupiers of Iraq should understand that peace will not be restored in the country unless Iraqis are allowed to smooth internal differences by themselves.

Lula emphasized that either from the point of view of religious faith or politically, he objected to the execution of Saddam. He also voiced doubt about the fairness of the trial, saying it seemed to be an act of revenge.

The Venezuelan National Assembly's foreign policy committee also decried the hanging of Saddam, calling it a violation of human rights.

Carlos Escarra, vice chairman of the committee, said that the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 in violation of Iraqi sovereignty and international law, "kidnapped" a number of people including Saddam, brought them up for previously-arranged trial, and then sentenced Saddam to death. All these acts themselves should be condemned, he said.

The execution of Saddam would likely trigger unpredictable reactions in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East, Escarra said, adding that the United States should withdraw from Iraq and restore Iraq's sovereignty and independence at an early date.

Chilean Deputy Foreign Minister Alberto Van Klavren also joined the chorus of objection, saying that "an excellent opportunity to uphold justice was lost" after the execution of Saddam.

He noted that justice should not be done through the death penalty although there were significant evidence that Saddam had committed the grave crime of genocide, and the hanging of Saddam "means a more complicated security situation in Iraq."

At the same time, Klavren said that Chile "respects the decision made by other countries regarding their domestic problems."

On Friday, Klavren underscored that Chile stood firm against the capital punishment and such a penalty should in principle not be carried out even when it came to Saddam.

Peruvian President Alan Garcia's reactions to Saddam's execution was slightly different from those of the country's neighbors.

Stating that Saddam was a criminal and deserved to be executed, Garcia made it clear that he opposed the hanging of the former Iraqi leader when Iraq remains occupied by foreign troops.

Garcia told a press conference in Lima that Saddam deserved the punishment because he had ordered the use of chemical weapons against the ethnic Kurds for religious, ethnic and other reasons.

Nonetheless, he pointed out, given the fact that Iraq is still under the foreign occupation, the judicial fairness of his trial was "significantly undermined."

Source: Xinhua