‘Saddam a dictator who ended a coward’

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari rejected the claim widely made in Arab newspapers and television that the pictures of Saddam after his capture by U.S. forces on Dec. 13 were humiliating.

"Saddam represented the ugliest image, example of a person who disgraced humanity. The way he appeared was the true picture of that dictator. All dictators usually end up as cowards, and Saddam is no exception," Zebari said.

The pictures showed a haggard, bearded Saddam hours after he was found hiding in a hole in the ground near his hometown Tikrit. Video pictures showed an American doctor examining Saddam’s mouth and head.

Many Arabs expected Saddam to fight to the death or to commit suicide rather than surrender. Some have accused the U.S. military of distributing the pictures to humiliate Arabs and Muslims.

"It is a matter of shame and disgrace to link the way Saddam was shown on television with the issue of Arab and Islamic dignity," Zebari said.

Zebari spoke to reporters after holding talks with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa on relations between the league and Iraq and political developments in Iraq.