KEY POINTS:
There has been a mixed global reaction to the execution of Saddam Hussein, with Washington hailing a "milestone" for Iraq, European leaders criticising use of the death penalty and the Arab world split between anger and approval.
United States President George W. Bush, who was asleep at his Texas ranch when the hanging was carried out in Baghdad, said the former Iraqi dictator had received the kind of justice he denied his victims.
"Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself," Bush said.
Shiite Iran, which Saddam attacked in the 1980s, welcomed his hanging, as did Kuwait which Iraq invaded in 1990.
"The execution verdict of the court that tried Saddam has made thousands of Iranian, Iraqi and Kuwaiti victims happy," said an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman.
Kuwait's acting Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah said Saddam was "an enemy to the Iraqi people and the Islamic nation."
Israel, which came under Iraqi missile attack in 1991, said Saddam had brought about his own demise.
"This was a man who caused a great deal of harm to his people and who was a major threat to Israel," said Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
New Zealand Government Duty Minister Trevor Mallard said last night that while New Zealand did not support the death penalty, Saddam Hussein's execution occurred within the framework of Iraqi law and the guilty verdict was appropriate.
Green Party spokesman Keith Locke said the execution was "completely uncivilised" and a stain on the United States' reputation.
Australia's Prime Minister John Howard said: "The real significance is that this man has been given a proper trial, due process was followed.''
There was sadness and anger in many areas of the Arab world, with Libya declaring three days of national mourning and the ruling Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas calling the execution "a political assassination."
In Saudi Arabia, the official Saudi Press Agency voiced "surprise and dismay" that the hanging was carried out on the day of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.
Egypt agreed, saying it "regretted" both the execution and the fact that it had taken place on the Muslim feast of sacrifice.
"The timing was wrong," echoed Mohammed Mahdi Akef, leader of Egypt's opposition Muslim Brotherhood. "To execute him today is below any humane standards."
The 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called for calm and the Arab League lamented a "tragic end" to Saddam's regime, expressing hope it would not "contribute to further deterioration in the security situation."
Tunisia also expressed its "profound regret" over the timing of the hanging, saying it was a "serious attack on the feelings of Muslim peoples."
Among rights groups, Human Rights Watch said the hanging followed "a deeply flawed trial (and) ... marks a significant step away from respect for human rights and the rule of law in Iraq."
Amnesty International agreed: "We oppose the death penalty in all cases as a violation of the right to life and the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, but it is especially abhorrent when this most extreme penalty is imposed after an unfair trial."
In Asia, India - which had warm ties with the Saddam regime - said it was disappointed by the execution, while Pakistan called it a sad event, and Malaysia warned it could trigger more bloodshed.
Japan said it respected Iraq's decision to carry out the execution.
"Japan hopes Iraq will turn into a stable country and will continue supporting the country together with the international community," said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
European countries, while acknowledging Saddam's crimes, reacted critically to the death penalty as a matter of principle.
"It could also prove to be divisive for the future of Iraq especially since there has been serious criticism of the way the trial was conducted," said Finnland's Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency of the European Union.
The Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, called on Iraq to abolish the death penalty, calling it "cruel and barbaric."
Russia's foreign ministry noted that international calls for clemency had been ignored.
"Unfortunately, the many appeals from representatives of various countries and international organisations for Iraq's authorities to hold back from capital punishment were not heard," said a ministry spokesman.
France, a high profile opponent of the Iraq invasion, "calls, like all its European partners, for the universal abolition of the death penalty," a foreign ministry statement said.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel her government's opposition to capital punishment, but added: "We respect the sentence."
Italy's Prime Minister Romano Prodi said he was concerned over tensions fanned in Iraq by the execution.
Silvio Berlusconi, who as Prodi's predecessor contributed 3,000 troops to the US-led coalition in Iraq, said the hanging was a "a step backward in Iraq's progress to a full democracy" and a "political and historic mistake."
Spain likewise regretted the execution while acknowledging that Saddam had committed serious human rights violations.
In the Americas, Canada said only it hoped for a peaceful and prosperous future for Iraqis. Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner condemned the hanging and said it would "not contribute" to a stablisation of Iraq.
- AFP, AAP, HERALD ON SUNDAY
