Crawford (Texas): The White House called the guilty verdict handed down to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Sunday a good day for Iraqis and a sign of progress in the difficult effort to stabilize the country.
Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging by a US - sponsored court in Baghdad after being found guilty of crimes against humanity. The guilty verdict came just two days before Tuesday's US congressional elections that Democrats hope to use as a referendum on President George W Bush's handling of the Iraq war.
"It's a good day for the Iraqi people," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. Bush is to comment on the Saddam verdict at about 1820 hrs, (GMT) on Sunday before departing on a trip to Nebraska and Kansas to campaign for Republican candidates, the White House said.
Snow, in a spate of television interviews, said the verdict was proof of an independent judiciary in Iraq that operates fairly and openly. "The judges will in fact publish everything they used to come to their verdict. I think the entire world is going to get the opportunity to see it was scrupulous and fair," Snow told CNN's "Late Edition."
"For a young judiciary to take a hard case like this with the whole world watching to go through all that and do it carefully in the way they've done it, speaks volumes about their seriousness in terms of developing a rule of law," he said.
Strong challenge
Bush, who is trying to fend off a strong challenge from Democrats in Tuesday's elections, has warned repeatedly on the campaign trail of the consequences of abandoning Iraq's fledgling government and has accused Democrats of lacking a plan to win in Iraq.
Snow said anyone who thought the verdict was timed to help Republicans in the election must be "smoking rope," dismissing "the idea that somehow the Iraq judiciary is going to time a verdict to coincide with American elections."
He said the verdict was a sign of progress and evidence that the United States must stay in Iraq to finish the job of building an Iraqi government that can defend and sustain itself and not become a safe haven for terrorists.
"Democrats have taken a flyer on this. They're not going to tell you how they're going to win in Iraq. And it's vital to win in Iraq, because if we leave before we finish the job, the stakes are pretty simple," he told NBC's "Today Show." Democrats had a measured reaction, saying they were pleased with the verdict while taking aim at Bush's policy.
"We have seen milestones pass in Iraq before, with no lasting signs of progress. If today's sentencing is to be any different, we need to take a new direction in Iraq," said Nevada Democratic Sen. Harry Reid, the top Democrat in the Senate.
Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said: "Iraq is in the middle of a civil war and growing sectarian violence will be an even greater concern following this verdict."
Comments
0 comment