Below we report comments and statements made by East Asian political, and cultural and economic leaders in reaction to Saddam Hussein's capture.

China

 

Peking (AsiaNews) – According to Chinese authorities, Saddam Hussein's capture will help speed up Iraq's return to self-government., thereby becoming a more stable country. In a statement made to the New China press agency,  Liu Joachim, foreign ministry spokesman, said: "We hope that the latest developments in the Iraq situation allow the Iraqi people to take their future into their hands, establishing peace and stability throughout Iraq". When Saddam Hussein was in power, Iraqis suffered many wars and sanctions; China is in favor that power in Iraq return to the hands of its local people, said Liu.

 

Malaysia

 

Seoul (AsiaNews) – In a statement indirectly tied to Saddam Hussein's arrest, Mahatir Mohammed, former prime minister of Malaysia, said the war tribunals set up in Iraq are "not fair".  During a meeting with Asian leaders in Seoul he said: "To open a war crimes case in which only the losers are tried, is not fair and just. How can the plaintiff be at the same time both accuser and judge?" Mahatir Mohammed has always been a strong critic of American  policy. "To speak about preventive attacks merely means to speak about open aggression."

 

Hong Kong

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – The Asian stock markets are all on the rise and many analysts link this to the capture of Saddam Hussein and the hope that this situation in Iraq will soon stabilize. The price of oil fell by 4%. Honk Kong's Hang Seng index closed with a 67.12 point gain at 12,661.54. Francis Lun, general manager of Fulbright Securities, said that Saddam Hussein's capture helped inspire the market's high close.

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