"[The] execution comes at the end of a dif"cult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops. Bringing [him] to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself, and be an ally in the war on terror."

MARGARET BECKETT UK foreign secretary "I welcome the fact that Saddam Hussein has been tried by an Iraqi court for at least some of the appalling crimes he committed against the Iraqi people. He has now been held to account.

"The British government does not support the use of the death penalty, in Iraq or anywhere else. We advocate an end to the death penalty worldwide, regardless of the individual or the crime.

"We have made our position very clear to the Iraqi authorities, but we respect their decision as that of a sovereign nation."

LIAQUAT BALUCH MMA Religious Alliance, Pakistan "We have no sympathy with Saddam Hussein, but we will also say that he did not get justice.

"The execution will further destabilise Iraq. There will be more sectarian violence, and we believe that the execution of Saddam is part of the US plan to disintegrate Iraq."