Death penalty: Iraqi PM won’t interfere

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraq’s interim prime minister said yesterday he would not interfere with an Iraqi tribunal’s right to decide whether Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants should be executed on war crimes charges, the Arab language television station Al-Arabiya reported.

Prime minister Ayad Allawi said he was willing to abide by whatever the court decides in the trial, which is not expected to begin for months. Iraq assumed legal custody of Saddam from the United States last week and re-instituted the death penalty, which had been suspended by US occupation authorities.”As for the execution, that is for the court to decide – so long as a decision is reached impartially and fairly,” he said.Saddam’s first court appearance Thursday dominated the media across Iraq, and revived debate over his eventual fate.The broadly outlined charges include the slaughter of Shiites during a 1991 uprising and a chemical weapons attack against Kurds in the northern city of Halabja.Thousands of Kurds demonstrated yesterday in Halabja, demanding that Saddam and one of his key lieutenants – Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as “Chemical Ali” – be put to death for the gas attack that killed 5 000 people on March 16, 1988.Carrying photos of their slain loved ones, the marchers said they want Saddam to be tried and executed in their town.”Every family in this city lost no less than five of its dear sons,” said one demonstrator, Sabiha Ali, 50.”Therefore, we want to execute Saddam on the soil of the land.”Iraq has been wracked by lawlessness and violence since the fall of Saddam’s regime 14 months ago.Iraq’s oil exports were cut nearly in half as workers struggled yesterday to repair a key pipeline shut down after looters sabotaged the line, officials with the South Oil Company and traders said.The looters, trying to steal crude oil for sale on the black market, breached one of the country’s two key southern pipelines, said an SOC official speaking on condition of anonymity.Also yesterday, a land mine detonated along the main route to the southern city of Samawah, where Japanese troops are based, police officials said.There were no reports of injuries.The route is used frequently by coalition forces.In southern Iraq, insurgents fired rockets at a government building early yesterday, but instead struck nearby homes, wounding eight people, police said.The attack targeted the province’s main offices near the centre of the Basra.Iraqi officials have blamed foreign fighters and religious extremists for a wave of vehicle bombings in recent months.The attacks have led to fears that religious fanatics and Saddam loyalists may be joining forces to fight both the multinational force and the new Iraqi government.Iraqi troops thwarted a car bombing outside their regional headquarters northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing an attacker before could detonate his vehicle.Two bystanders also died in the assault in Baqouba, the scene of fierce fighting last week between American soldiers and insurgents who tried to seize government buildings and police stations.Also in Baqouba, gunmen fired at a building belonging to a city council official in the town of Khalis on Sunday, killing two people and wounding two, said Salih Mahdi, the spokesman for the Diyala province.Iraqi government officials have suggested that tough moves will soon be taken to combat the violence, but cancelled a news conference yesterday, where they had been expected to announce a limited amnesty for insurgents and martial law in parts of the country.The news conference with justice minister Malik Dohan al-Hassan and human rights minister, Bakhtiyar Amin, was postponed indefinitely just as it was scheduled to begin.The government had cancelled a previous news conference on the same topic.- Nampa-APIraq assumed legal custody of Saddam from the United States last week and re-instituted the death penalty, which had been suspended by US occupation authorities.”As for the execution, that is for the court to decide – so long as a decision is reached impartially and fairly,” he said.Saddam’s first court appearance Thursday dominated the media across Iraq, and revived debate over his eventual fate.The broadly outlined charges include the slaughter of Shiites during a 1991 uprising and a chemical weapons attack against Kurds in the northern city of Halabja.Thousands of Kurds demonstrated yesterday in Halabja, demanding that Saddam and one of his key lieutenants – Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as “Chemical Ali” – be put to death for the gas attack that killed 5 000 people on March 16, 1988.Carrying photos of their slain loved ones, the marchers said they want Saddam to be tried and executed in their town.”Every family in this city lost no less than five of its dear sons,” said one demonstrator, Sabiha Ali, 50.”Therefore, we want to execute Saddam on the soil of the land.”Iraq has been wracked by lawlessness and violence since the fall of Saddam’s regime 14 months ago.Iraq’s oil exports were cut nearly in half as workers struggled yesterday to repair a key pipeline shut down after looters sabotaged the line, officials with the South Oil Company and traders said.The looters, trying to steal crude oil for sale on the black market, breached one of the country’s two key southern pipelines, said an SOC official speaking on condition of anonymity.Also yesterday, a land mine detonated along the main route to the southern city of Samawah, where Japanese troops are based, police officials said.There were no reports of injuries.The route is used frequently by coalition forces.In southern Iraq, insurgents fired rockets at a government building early yesterday, but instead struck nearby homes, wounding eight people, police said.The attack targeted the province’s main offices near the centre of the Basra.Iraqi officials have blamed foreign fighters and religious extremists for a wave of vehicle bombings in recent months.The attacks have led to fears that religious fanatics and Saddam loyalists may be joining forces to fight both the multinational force and the new Iraqi government.Iraqi troops thwarted a car bombing outside their regional headquarters northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing an attacker before could detonate his vehicle.Two bystanders also died in the assault in Baqouba, the scene of fierce fighting last week between American soldiers and insurgents who tried to seize government buildings and police stations.Also in Baqouba, gunmen fired at a building belonging to a city council official in the town of Khalis on Sunday, killing two people and wounding two, said Salih Mahdi, the spokesman for the Diyala province.Iraqi government officials have suggested that tough moves will soon be taken to combat the violence, but cancelled a news conference yesterday, where they had been expected to announce a limited amnesty for insurgents and martial law in parts of the country.The news conference with justice minister Malik Dohan al-Hassan and human rights minister, Bakhtiyar Amin, was postponed indefinitely just as it was scheduled to begin.The government had cancelled a previous news conference on the same topic.- Nampa-AP