Sanaa: Iraqis, Yemenis and some other Arabs gathered here on Wednesday for four hours for the memorial ceremony of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussain.
The ceremony was emotional as mourners read poems, slogans and chants on Saddam.
In the first public speech since the execution of her father, Raghad Saddam Hussain praised the relations which linked her father with President Ali Abdullah Saleh .
"I'm also proud of the position of Libya, and President Muammar Al Gaddafi, the state of Qatar and Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa (Al Thani) and all the Arab people," Raghad said in a memorial ceremony held in Sanaa to mark the passage of the 40th day since her father was executed.
All the speakers in the ceremony described the execution of Saddam as assassination.
Addressing about 1,000 Iraqis and Yemenis mourning her father, she said, "All of you know the relations between my father, President (Martyr) Saddam Hussain with the President Ali Abdullah Saleh and all of you know how my father was proud of the Yemeni people. I swear that the love of parents has been inherited by children."
She described President Saleh as 'my dear uncle'. The woman who appeared confident and brave said it was difficult for her to say the word 'happy' before coming to Yemen. "You know that it is difficult for me to say happy but I would say I was really happy when my brothers in Kanan Association for Palestine told me: your family in Yemen wish to see you with them here."
Kanan Association is presided over by Yahya Mohammad Abdullah Saleh, Saleh's nephew, who is also the chief of the Central Security Forces.
She recited her father's last will which says, "I am happy because I will meet Allah and Saddam Hussain never haggled for his head...", concluding her speech by reading the slogan which her father Saddam was using.
"Allah is greater, long live Iraqi people, long live free Palestine, Allah is greater, long live Jihad and Jihadists," shouted Raghad.
The 12 speakers, most of them Arab lawyers who defended Saddam, described Raghad as 'Al Khansa', after a courageous female poet in the early days of Islam, whose father, brothers and husband were killed in battle.
When Bushra Khalil, Lebanese lawyer, ascended to the podium the Iraqi attendees cried, "Oh great woman, all Iraqis are proud of you."
"Unity of Iraq, liberation of Palestine and sovereignty of Arab Ummah [nation] were the main concerns of Saddam," said Bushra.
Mohammad Moneeb, the Egyptian lawyer, urged the Iraqis to focus only on driving back the occupation and reject the sectarian strife.
Mustafa Bakri, an Egyptian journalist known for his support for Saddam, urged the Iraqis for rallying around the 'legitimate president of Iraq' Izzat Ebrahim Al Douri.
He praised Saddam as the best man to be born after Salah Al Deen Al Awayubi, Omar Al Mukhtar and Jamal Abdul Nasser.
Tunisian lawyer, Esam Ghazawi and Iraqi lawyer, Bander Awad Al Bander also spoke.
