Sharon praises Bush for arrest of dictator

Haaretz ^ | December 15, 2003 | Aluf Benn

[yonif]

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday called U.S. President George Bush to congratulate him on the successful capture of deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Speaking afterward to reporters, Sharon said he had told Bush: "Today was a great day for the democratic world, for those fighting for freedom and justice, and for those who object to terror. The entire world can breath a sigh of relief, because the dictator who ruined Iraq cannot interfere with its reconstruction and rehabilitation."

Sharon also praised Bush "for his brave stand against world terror." He said all dictatorships, especially those contaminated with terror, had been taught an important lesson. "The enlightened international community has shown that when it is asked to do so, it can protect freedom and defeat terror."

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, on a visit to Washington, said Saddam's capture proved persistence paid off in the "uncompromising battle against terrorism and totalitarian regimes," and it would promote regional stability.

Shalom telephoned Secretary of State Colin Powell and told him "Israel, which was one of the victims of Saddam's dictatorship, knows how to value the U.S. Administration's uncompromising efforts."

Powell said the capture was a huge success that would have a positive psychological impact on the entire region. Shalom is due to meet Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rise today at the White House.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, in a message to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, said the capture of Saddam Hussein again proved that free countries were determined to bring terrorists to justice.

A senior Palestinian cabinet minister said yesterday that the Palestinian Authority would not issue an official comment on Saddam's capture.

Mohammed Horani, a legislator from PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's ruling Fatah movement, said he expected many Palestinians and Arabs would have mixed feelings. "Saddam is a dictator and the Iraqi people suffered under him, but on the other hand, it was the [American] occupiers that caught him. There will be a sense of public confusion."

Gloom and disbelief seemed to be the mood of many Palestinians yesterday when they heard of Saddam's capture. Many regarded him as a hero for his stand against Israel and its American ally, as well as for his aid to families of Palestinians who died in the intifada.

"It's a black day in history," said Sadiq Husam, 33, a taxi driver in Ramallah. "I am saying so not because Saddam is an Arab, but because he is the only man who said `no' to American injustice in the Middle East."

Saddam paid over $35 million to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers, militants, and Palestinian civilian casualties in the intifada.

Although not all Palestinians supported him, militants marched to back Saddam before the U.S.-led invasion in March. Some did not believe news of Saddam's capture even when images of the bearded fugitive flashed across television screens.

"Maybe they captured someone who looks like him," said Laila Abusharigh, 55, in the Gaza Strip. "Saddam is a real man and all of us are with him." Fifteen youngsters from Arafat's Fatah movement tagged on to a rally in Gaza for the Islamic group Hamas, holding up posters of Saddam.

Islamic factions sworn to Israel's destruction have taken strength from Iraqi resistance and yesterday said Saddam's capture would not end attacks on U.S. forces.

"The war will start now in Iraq," said Yusef Khalil, 16, in Gaza. "Saddam helped our people and we will not forget him."