Saddam Calls on Iraqis Not to Hate Attackers of Their Country in Internet Letter
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq — In a letter posted on the Internet Wednesday in the name of Saddam Hussein, the former dictator called on Iraqis not to hate the invaders of their country.
The letter, which was authenticated by one of Saddam's lawyers, appeared to be what the fallen leader would have said if he had been given an opportunity to address the court on the day he was condemned to death last month.
"I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking," Saddam said in the letter published on a Website known to represent the Baath Party.
"I also call on you not to hate the people of the other countries that attacked us and who separated the people from those who govern them," Saddam wrote.
In this respect the letter contradicts a Baath Party statement published on the same Web site earlier Wednesday, in which the party threatened to retaliate against the United States if Saddam is executed.
In Amman, a member of Saddam Hussein's legal team, Issam Ghazzawi, confirmed to The Associated Press that the letter was authentic, saying it was written by Saddam on Nov. 5 — the day he was condemned to death for ordering the killing of 148 people, including children, who had been arrested after an attempt to assassinate him in the northern town of Dujail in 1982.
2006-12-30
09:41:53
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