PM welcomes Saddam’s capture

Prime Minister Helen Clark has today welcomed the capture of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Helen Clark said Saddam’s capture was a great relief and would hopefully add momentum to efforts to rebuild Iraq.

“While he was unaccounted for, Saddam was clearly a focal point for the violent resistance to Coalition forces. That focal point has now gone,” Helen Clark said.

“The New Zealand government will be communicating to the United States its relief and hope that Saddam's capture will help Iraq to move forward.

“While there will almost certainly be ongoing opposition from extremists to the presence of occupying forces, there will also be greater optimism about efforts to rebuild Iraq and achieve the stability which will allow Iraqis to run their own affairs again.

“There are accelerated plans for restoring Iraqi sovereignty and New Zealand is fully in support of that objective,” Helen Clark said.

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