Egyptian president warns against hanging Saddam
CAIRO Egypt’s president came out strongly against hanging Saddam Hussein, saying in remarks published Thursday that it could make Iraq explode into more violence. But Iraq’s prime minister said the execution could take place by the end of the year.
The statement from President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt broke an uneasy silence among Arab leaders over Sunday’s verdict by an Iraqi court, which convicted Saddam for the killings of some 150 Shiite Muslims after an assassination attempt against him in 1982.
Mubarak, a regional heavyweight and a top U.S. ally, appeared to speak for many in the region who are uneasy about seeing a former Arab president tried and sentenced–no matter how much they disliked Saddam’s regime. Analysts suggested Arab leaders are worried about the precedent an execution would set, and said Arab publics often identify with their leaders.
Hanging Saddam “will transform [Iraq] into blood pools and lead to a deepening of the sectarian and ethnic conflicts,” Mubarak was quoted as saying by state-run Egyptian newspapers.
Saddam has appealed, and is being separately tried for genocide in the deaths of about 180,000 Iraqi Kurds, mostly civilians, during a crackdown in the late 1980s.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki confirmed this week that both legal procedures would go on simultaneously and that Iraq’s presidential council is pledged to allow Saddam’s hanging if the court rejects the appeal.
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Italian police arrest 50 in drug ring
Police arrested 50 people across central Italy on Thursday to break up an organization that allegedly transported cocaine and heroin from Africa to Europe using couriers who swallowed drug-filled pellets, officials said. Italians, Nigerians and Moroccans were among those arrested in predawn raids in major cities including Naples, Rome, Perugia and Pisa, police said.
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Hamas has stake in truce
Hamas’ threats to resume attacks inside Israel are playing well on the Palestinian street, but the group has a big stake in its truce with Israel as it struggles to end a Western aid boycott. Hamas is already advancing efforts to form a national unity government that would presumably project a more moderate public stance.
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Rule may restrict lawyers
Guantanamo Bay prisoners may lose access to their lawyers because of a new law that eliminates their right to challenge their detention in civilian courts, the lawyers fear. Even as lawyers are asking a federal court to rule that provisions of the law are unconstitutional, the government is looking to restrict their access.
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New island rises in Pacific
A new volcanic island has emerged from the ocean near Tonga in recent weeks, according to reports from two vessels that traveled through what one called a vast field of floating pumice stone spewed by the same eruption. Mineral scientists are trying to learn more about the eruption and the pumice raft phenomenon.
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AND FINALLY
Norway ranked best country to live in
The UN ranked Norway as the best country to live in for a sixth consecutive year Thursday, prompting its aid minister to tell Norwegians to stop whining about wanting more. The UN Development Program’s human development index is based on criteria such as life expectancy, education and income. Iceland was No. 2, followed by Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Japan and the U.S.
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FROM NEWS SERVICES
