Saddam was a tyrant but we didn't see in his era this killing and destruction

BAGHDAD, Oct. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- A US report on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which cleared Iraq of possession of such arms, triggered fiery condemnation among the Iraqis on Thursday.

The report, prepared after 1,200 inspectors headed by American chief weapon inspector Charles Dolfer conducted a 18-month search campaign, said that Iraq had no biological, chemical or nuclear weapons before the US occupation of the oil-rich Arab country.

The report virtually overturned the US pretext for invading Iraqin March 2003, igniting angry emotions among Iraqis, who also harbored hatred toward the occupation forces for the war andensuing chaos, destruction and bloodshed.

Many Iraqi believed that the report would not change anything in reality, rather it might even worsen the situation.

"The results of the report confirm that there was no justification for invading and destroying Iraq the way they did,and the report would only increase hatred of Iraqis against America and gives the resistance more enthusiasm and justification to escalate the resistance campaign against occupation," said Mohamed Hussein, a writer.

"It is time now that the world would say to America 'that'senough, stop what you're doing to Iraq and its people," said Mohamed Al Imam, a cloths shop owner.

"Saddam was a tyrant, but we didn't see in his era this killing and destruction," he added.

"Leave Iraq, for you had enough hatred of the Arabs and Muslims against the American administration," he said.

Although those who opposed the former regime of Saddam Hussein saw the US-led multinational forces as liberating Iraq from adictator regime, the men of law argued that no country had theright to invade another country and topple its regime for mere suspicions.

Resorting to forces would not be justified without referring tothe international law and legitimacy authorized by the United Nations Security Council, they argued.

"After the issuing of this report, Iraq has the right toprosecute the United States and hold it responsible for the destruction in Iraq because of the occupation," said Waleed AlZubaidy, a political analyst.

On US President George W. Bush's assertion that the world after the toppling of Saddam Hussein has become safer, Iraqis believed that this achievement, if there was any, was made at the expense of the lives and well-being of the Iraqis.

Talks began emerging in Iraqi streets that people felt much safer in Saddam's time.

"The whole world, including America, was safer before the occupation than it is now," Abbass Al Hamdani, a school teacher,said.

"The ulterior reason for the United States to invade Iraq was not the WMD. Washington planned to occupy Iraq for other reasons,"said Saadi Al Ani, a colleague of Hamdani.

"The possession of WMD was only a pretext cobbled up by the United States after it actually occupied Iraq," he said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-10/07/content_2061461.htm