As national reconciliation takes hold in Algeria, there lies hope Iraq will follow suit, writes Rasha Saad The trial of Saddam Hussein, which is scheduled for later this month, drew the attention of many writers who said a hasty hanging of Saddam would not expiate Iraq's guilt. In the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat Amir Taheri offered his vision on how Saddam's trial can serve in attaining national reconciliation in Iraq. "The trial should not become a settling of scores by Shiites and Kurds with Saddam. The trial would be useful only if it enables the whole of Iraq to come to terms with the most tragic period of its modern history. Only then can Iraq think of a truth and reconciliation committee to purge it of all the residual guilt in which, wittingly or unwittingly, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis had a share." Taheri said it was important to ask whether it was the right time for such a trial. The answer is complex. Taheri backed a speedy trial immediately after the invasion, hoping that the exercise would reveal how all sections of the Iraqi nation had suffered under Saddam's despotic regime, thus bringing Iraqis together. Now he is reconsidering. On the one hand, millions of Saddam's victims inside and outside Iraq would be glad to see him face justice as soon as possible. On the other hand, it is important that the trial be conducted by an authority with impeccable credentials. Taheri explained that as things now stand, the authority that is to try Saddam Hussein faces serious questions regarding its legitimacy. "There is no doubt that the interim government of President Jalal Talabani and Premier Ibrahim Al-Jaafari has a democratic mandate from the overwhelming majority of Iraqis. But Iraq would benefit more from a trial if it was conducted under the authority of the next government, to be elected in December, with the participation of the Arab Sunni minority that partly boycotted the last election in January." Helena Cobban wrote in the London-based daily Al-Hayat that after invading and taking over Iraq in the spring of 2003, the Bush administration immediately started trying to implement the 1945 Germany model. US occupation forces established a special Iraqi tribunal to try Saddam Hussein and other top Baathist leaders. It also set in motion the very lengthy and divisive process of trying to "de- Baathify" all Iraq's major national institutions. According to Cobban perhaps those steps seemed like the "right" thing to do in the aftermath of a "total" war that, like the final push of the Allied Forces into Europe in 1945, had completely destroyed the enemy's regime. "Now, 30 months after those decisions were finalised, they look very unsuccessful. The plans to try Saddam Hussein have been postponed again and again and currently look to be in great disarray. "De-Baathification" has become a deeply politicised process that continues to polarise the country and paralyse decision-making on all other issues of governance." Following more than a decade of bloody civil war, last Thursday's Algerian referendum on national reconciliation and peace charter was hailed by many Arab commentators. The Qatari newspaper Al-Raya described the Algeria referendum as a decisive step. "The 97 per cent of Algerians who voted for the referendum reflect the urgent need of the Algerians to start a new page and put behind the painful past in which more than 150,000 people were killed in the past 13 years," its editorial said. Al-Raya also wrote, "This high turnout proves that the Algerians have reached a strong conclusion that it is absurd to continue this violence and killing" and showed that the crisis in Algeria "is not a matter of fighting between the regime and extremists but that the core of the crisis is political." The UAE Al-Bayan criticised opposition and human rights groups which criticised the charter, saying it merely sweeps years of suffering under the carpet and gives the president new power. In its editorial, Al-Bayan wrote "The fact that Algerian President Bouteflika lights a candle to lead the country to the shores of security and peace is a much better option than those given by human rights groups which reject the charter." It said the major losers of the bloody decade have been Algerians themselves and that they will remain the losers if the status quo is maintained. "Thus to end the crisis there should be some sacrifices and a broader vision of the issue." The UAE Al-Ittihad newspaper praised the united will in Algeria to collectively decide to turn a new leaf. "Would Iraq be able to take the first step to rescue itself, a first step on the road of genuine national reconciliation that renews hope for the future?"
