BBC Monitoring Quotes From China, Taiwan Press 1 Jan 07

The following is a selection of quotes from editorials and commentaries carried in 30 December 2006 – 1 January 2007 website editions of mainland Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwan newspapers available to BBC Monitoring. Unless otherwise stated, the quotes are in Chinese. The figure in brackets after the quote indicates the date of publication on the website

“Saddam’s death will not help the difficult situation in Iraq”

Beijing’s China Daily website in Chinese: www.chinadaily.com.cn “…[Former Iraqi president] Saddam’s death will not be any help at all for the current difficult situation in Iraq… If the Bush administration has gained any advantages from Saddam’s hanging, they are almost negligible…” (Prof Zhu Feng, School of International Studies, Peking University) (30)

“Saddam’s ‘political legacy’”

China Daily website in Chinese: “…If the future strategy of the United States is to eliminate the ‘Saddam legacy’, this will be a difficult new milestone. No matter how dictatorial Saddam’s time in power was, the Iraqi people should at least remember one thing about Saddam’s ‘political legacy’. Iraq was a complete and independent sovereign state when he ruled the country… If the break-up of Iraq is indeed the price for the Bush administration’s ambitions of democracy in the Middle East, the person who the Iraqis are most unlikely to forgive will definitely not be Saddam. If the Iraqis think fondly of Saddam because they once had a unified country, this will be a very bitter irony.” (Zhu Feng) (31)

China Daily website in Chinese: “…Despite the fact that the trial and execution announcement were handled by the Iraqis, it is clear to everyone that the United States was the main actor… US President Bush said the hanging of former Iraqi president Saddam was ‘fair’, that it was justice for the victims of Saddam’s bloody rule, and an important milestone in Iraq’s road to democracy. But in fact, the emphasis on democracy in Iraq is only a fig leaf of the United States. The US attack on the Saddam regime and its accusations on the Iranian nuclear issue were not so much because of weapons of mass destruction and tyranny, but because of oil. Do not forget that in the era of Saddam’s dictatorship, Washington was once a staunch supporter of the Saddam regime…” (Zhou Xiaopeng) (30)

“Saddam brought good and bad things to Iraq”

Beijing’s Sina (Chinese web portal): www.sina.com.cn “The verdict of history will become fairer with time. In all fairness, Saddam still gave very many things to Iraq. After he came to power, he brought very good things to the Iraqis. After he came to power, Iraq became strong under his leadership, and its power became greater. The overall political, economic and cultural standards of Iraq at that time were better… However, the [Gulf] war brought many disasters for Iraq…” (Interview with Gao Zugui, deputy director, Institute of Security and Strategic Studies, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations) (31)

“Hanging Saddam cannot bring peace to Iraq”

Sina: “Basically speaking, Saddam was already an outsider in the overall situation in the Middle East. His fate will not have too much of an impact on the events in the entire region.” (Interview with Zhang Xiaodong, researcher, Institute of West Asian and African Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) (31)

Sina: “There are voices opposing [Saddam's execution] in Iraq and in the international community, but there would have been bigger trouble if Saddam had not been executed… Some minor trouble may occur in Iraq, but there will not be great chaos… Saddam made very many enemies internationally… Actually, Saddam was very isolated. International opposition to Saddam’s execution was certainly not for the sake of Saddam. These voices were against the death penalty, and were not political support for Saddam.” (Interview with Yin Gang, researcher, Institute of West Asian and African Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) (31)

“Saddam’s hanging makes Arab world feel ashamed”

Sina: “In the Arab world, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are unlikely to have any views on Saddam’s execution since they were once attacked by Iraq; and Iran will definitely be very happy, because Saddam was Iran’s mortal enemy. But for the Arab world as a whole, they will feel ashamed…” (Hua Liming, former Chinese ambassador to Iran) (30)

Hefei’s Jianghuai Chenbao carried by Sina: “Saddam is dead, but the chaotic situation and violent bloodshed will still continue in Iraq, and US troops will not fare any better there either. The chaotic situation in the Middle East will not develop as wished for by the United States.” (Gu Zhenglong, former Xinhua News Agency reporter in Baghdad) (31)

“Saddam’s last winter”

Beijing’s Xin Jing Bao (The Beijing News): www.thebeijingnews.com “…In a symbolic sense, no matter whether it is the United States or the Iraqi government, they both hope that this will mark the end of the ‘old era’ and bring Saddam’s ‘chapter’ to a close, and they hope that this will reduce the setbacks of the United States in Iraq. After being forced to admit that the Iraq war has not been won, Bush is still hoping to prove that the ‘war to topple Saddam’ has achieved significant results…” (Zhang Guoqing, researcher, Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) (31)

Xin Jing Bao: “…Since the end of the Iraq war in 2003, Iraq has been faced with the problem of how to restore national confidence and national identity, and how to resolve the armed conflicts between religious sects. After the hanging of Saddam, these problems will become more urgent… In fact, the international community and public opinion are likely to form a unanimous view: Saddam’s execution cannot resolve the current chaotic situation in Iraq… We hope that the people of Iraq will determine their own destiny and achieve stability and development as soon as possible.” (Editorial) (31)

“Saddam – a quietly disappearing political symbol”

Beijing’s Guoji Zaixian news website carried by Sina: “…Ever since the day that Saddam was captured alive from the underground hideout by the Americans, he turned from a political strongman into a powerless political symbol… As a powerless political symbol, Saddam’s death signifies the complete end of an era. For the Americans, they can only hope to get out of the mire of Iraq quickly…” (Interview with Zhang Jingwei, commentator) (30)

“Saddam’s execution cannot treat Iraq’s ailments, violence will continue as normal”

Guoji Zaixian: “At present, a thorny issue before Iraq and the US government is how to contain the bloody conflicts between the Shi’is and Sunnis, and improve the security situation in Iraq. The vengeful killings between the two sects have become the major source of chaos in Iraq. Saddam’s execution will not be unable to resolve the disputes between the two sects, the possibility of the conflicts intensifying further still exists… The hanging of Saddam may heal the wounds of the Shi’is and Kurds, but we must realize that the Sunnis will be extremely disappointed. If there is more violence in future, it will not be surprising…” (Interview with Li Guofu, director, department of Middle East studies, China Institute of International Studies) (31)

Sources: As listed

(c) 2007 BBC Monitoring Newsfile. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.