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Breaking News: Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein executed 2006-12-30 11:01:50

Special Report: World reactions on execution of Saddam

Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq

CAIRO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian political experts on Saturday warned of more violence and clashes in Iraq in the wake of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, calling the move very "sensitive."

Professor Hassan Nafaa, Chairman of Political Science department at Cairo University dismissed the trial as unfair in the first place in an interview with Xinhua.

Saddam's trial is an unfair trial because Saddam should have been tried by an international court, and Saddam was charged of crimes which were not the most important as he should have faced the crime of using chemical weapons against Iran, Nafaa said.

Furthermore, Nafaa criticized the choice of the execution time as inappropriate, saying that the execution came as the Arab countries are celebrating one of their biggest religious festival--Eid al-Adha (or Greater Bairam), which may trigger anger across the region, especially the Arab world.

Asked whether Saddam's execution would help ease the violence in Iraq, Nafaa said, "No, actually Saddam was out of politics in Iraq, and the resistance activities is gaining dynamics. The execution will push more people to more violence."

Meanwhile, Mustafa Bakri, member of Egyptian Parliament and chief editor of the journal Al-Osboa in Cairo, told Xinhua that Saddam's execution was very sensitive at this moment and would be unlikely to lead to more stability and security in Iraq as there would be stronger clashes between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

The Iraqi government, which was thought to be cooperating with the United States, is expected to encounter more resistance, Bakri said, while warning about the possibility of unrest spreading over the whole region, especially among the Arab countries.

Officially, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not release any statement on Saddam's execution as of press time and government spokesmen refused to give any personal comment on this matter.

Earlier in November, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned against carrying out the execution of Saddam, saying that hanging the former Iraqi leader would lead to more sectarian strife in Iraq.

The execution took place earlier on Saturday morning. Saddam, born on April 28, 1937 was deposed by the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. He was handed over on Friday to the Iraqi authorities from a U.S. camp near Baghdad international airport where he had been held.