World conveys hope for Iraq

LONDON — World leaders expressed delight and relief Sunday at the capture of Hussein, with supporters and opponents of the Iraq war agreeing the arrest could mark a milestone in the country’s journey toward peace.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a staunch ally of President Bush on Iraq, said the capture would convince Iraqis that "Saddam has gone from power, he won’t be coming back."

French President Jacques Chirac, a firm opponent of the U.S.-led war that toppled Hussein, said the former dictator’s capture was "a major event that should strongly contribute to democracy and stability in Iraq," according to his spokeswoman, Catherine Colonna.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who sent troops to fight the war, said he supported the death penalty for Hussein.

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

"What the Americans are doing in Iraq and everywhere else is humiliating," said Samer Saado, a flower-shop employee in Damascus, Syria. "There’s nothing to say we’re not next in line."

Saudi Arabian student Rasheed al-Osaimi, 22, said he was happy for the Iraqi people.

"Saddam should not be spared, he should get the death penalty, which is the least he deserves," he said.

In Kuwait, whose 1990 invasion by Iraq sparked the 1991 Gulf War, information minister Mohammed Abul-Hassan said the Iraqi people and the world had been "liberated from the symbol of the regime and the fear he causes."

There was a muted response from other Arab governments.