Saudi Arabia dismayed; Egypt regrets timing

Riyadh/Cairo: Saudi Arabia said yesterday's hanging of Saddam Hussain on the first day of the Eid Al Adha caused "surprise and dismay", the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

"There has been a feeling of surprise and dismay that the implementation of the [death] sentence [against the former Iraqi president] came ... on the first day of Eid Al Adha during which ... Muslims come together," wrote the Saudi Press Agency's political analyst in a commentary about reactions to the execution.

The news agency, which expresses the official line, also chided the "politicisation" of Saddam's trial.

"Many observers expected that the trial of a former president who ruled Iraq for decades would take longer and [involve] detailed proceedings and tight legal procedures, away from politicisation," the commentary said.

'Inconsiderate'

Egypt yesterday said it "regretted" the execution of the former Iraqi leader and that it took place on the Feast of Sacrifice.

"Egypt regrets the fact that the Iraqi authorities carried out the execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussain, and that it took place on the first day of Eid Al Adha," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alaa Al Hadidi told the official Mena agency.

The timing of the execution "did not take into consideration the feelings of Muslims and the sanctity of this day which represents amnesty and forgiveness", he said. Egypt hoped that timing of the execution would not lead to further deterioration of the situation.