Saddam Hussein executed

Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging at 03:00GMT today.

The world will not shed many tears for the end of the dictator's life. However, the world should note that the execution in this manner has eroded what little credibility there may have been in the actions of the US in bringing about Saddam's demise.

The following points should be borne in mind:

• There were no WMD aimed at the West.



• Saddam posed no immediate, or medium term, threat to the West.



• The post "regime change" occupation of Iraq has been an unmitigated disaster.



• Iraq is now on the precipice of a civil war.



• The Middle East may well erupt into a civil war between Shias and Sunnis.



• Saddam was still being tried for genocide against the Kurds. Where is the justice for them, or the victims of his other crimes, in executing him now?



• The trial of Saddam was littered with irregularities and inconsistencies, to base the verdict on the outcome of a flawed trial is to send a signal to the world that justice does not count for much in the "new" Iraq.



• The speed of the execution was to satisfy the US and current Iraq administration's political agenda.



• A country that bases its future on a flawed legal system (as was demonstrated by the shambles of the trial) has no future.

Mission Accomplished!

Death Sentence Confirmed

The death sentence imposed on Saddam Hussein from his first trial, has been confirmed the other day.

Hardly surprising, since neither the ruling party in Iraq nor the current administration in Washington can afford to leave him alive. After all, he knows who supplied him with his money and weapons.

The execution, despite the fact that his current trial has not yet ended, is scheduled for within 30 days.

You never know, Iraq may still be in one piece when it is carried out, any longer and a unified Iraq would be highly unlikely.

Mission accomplished, as someone once said.

Pah!

Video Evidence

Video evidence, showing Kurdish villagers dying from a chemical attack, was shown at yesterday's session of Saddam Hussein's trial.

The video were shot in April 1987 and May 1988, and shows attack helicopters flying low over the mountains as villagers scatter.

The video then showed the aftermath of the chemical attacks; bodies, including a baby.

The defence claims that the government was conducting a legitimate military operation against separatists, who threatened the government while Iraq was at war with Iran.

The trial continues.

Saddam Linked To Chemical Weapons

The court hosting Saddam Hussein's trial heard from the prosecution yesterday, which presented documents that showed that Saddam's government used banned chemical weapons in the counterinsurgency operation against Iraqi Kurds in the 80's.

The documents, suggest that Saddam's office was kept regularly informed on the effects and characteristics of chemical weapons and approved their use.

A letter dated March 25 1987 from former military intelligence director, Saber Douri, said that the targets "lie in lowlands", and thus would be suitable for using the chemical sarin and mustard gas weapons because the poisons would spread out and stay in place a long time.

The letter was addressed to Saddam's office, and recommended that 33% of the stock be used for the attack with the rest being saved "due to the limited number of special weapons".

Saddam claims that the targets were not Iraqis but agents of Iran.

Another letter showed that a chemical attack had been delayed until the snows thawed, when they would be more effective.

The trial continues.

Saddam's Soldiers Invited Back

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has asked for former members of Saddam Hussein's disbanded army to join Iraq's new security forces, in an effort to stabilise the country.

The former U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, idiotically and against advice from the UK dissolved the Iraqi army after Saddam's government fell.

Needless to say, many of the unemployed troops joined the insurgency.

Whether this eleventh hour appeal from the Prime Minister of Iraq is enough to save the country from all out civil war, remains to be seen.

Trial Resumes

The trial of Saddam Hussein and six codefendants on genocide charges against Iraq's Kurdish minority in 1980s resumed in Baghdad on Monday.

The chief prosecutor, Munqith al-Faroun, prsented documents from the Iraqi army and intelligence recommending the use of chemical weapons during the Operation Anfal (Spoils of War) as more effective approach to destroy the Kurdish guerrilla.

The trial continues.

Bush Warned of Chaos

In previously suppressed documents, it has been revealed that Carne Ross, Britain's key negotiator at the UN, gave evidence stating that Tony Blair lied over Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

Ross's testimony makes clear that Blair would have known that Saddam Hussein possessed no weapons of mass destruction. He said that during his posting to the UN:

"at no time did HMG [Her Majesty's Government] assess that Iraq's WMD (or any other capability) posed a threat to the UK or its interests."

Ross also states that British officials warned US diplomats, that bringing down the Iraqi dictator would lead to chaos.

Quote:

"I remember on several occasions the UK team stating this view in terms during our discussions with the US (who agreed).

At the same time, we would frequently argue when the US raised the subject, that 'regime change' was inadvisable, primarily on the grounds that Iraq would collapse into chaos."

Unfortunately, the US is currently being governed by the worst president in living memory. Bush is not known for listening to opinions or facts that diverge from his own narrow "quasi religious" viewpoint.

The sooner this president is removed from office, the better.

A State of Denial

President Bush is in a state of denial over the Iraq fiasco. Bush has defended his decision to put off a change in Iraq policy until next month, and rejected some recommendations that he said would "lead to defeat".

The reality is, the US has lost the war in Iraq. All that remains to be done is to determine the least messy way of pulling out.

Swift Death, Secret Burial

Not wishing to prejudice the outcome of Saddam Hussein's appeal against the death penalty (note, I am being sarcastic!), an Iraqi official has said that if Saddam loses his appeal, he could face an immediate execution and possibly be buried in secret.

Seemingly Saddam and two of his co-defendants, Awad Hamed al-Bandar and Barzan al-Tikriti, may not spend years on death row as in the West.

Quote:

"We will not waste time. We will look at the security situation and they will be executed immediately at the very first opportunity we get after the appeals chamber finalises the verdicts."

The official denied a very prejudicial statement by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki saying that the death sentence would be carried out by the end of the year, noting that the review by the high court will continue past December.

The fact that Saddam is still being tried for other crimes has apparently not entered the equation.

Is predetermined execution the norm of the new justice system in the new Iraq?

Is president Bush proud of the "new order" that he has "created" in Iraq?

Will Iraq still exist when sentence is passed?

"Mission Accomplished", Pah!

Saddam's Nephew Does a Runner

Ayman Sabawi, the son of Saddam's half brother Sabawi Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, managed to escape from his prison 45 miles west of Mosul on Saturday afternoon.

He was aided and abetted by a police officer in making good his escape.

Sabawi was sentenced to life in prison for funding Iraq's insurgency and for bomb-making.