P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News Staff

JEDDAH, 15 December 2003 — US President George W. Bush yesterday made telephone calls to world leaders including Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, to discuss the arrest of Saddam Hussein, according to White House Spokesman Scott McClellan.

The Saudi Press Agency confirmed the telephone conversation between Prince Abdullah and Bush and said the two leaders had discussed the situation in the region as well as issues of mutual concern.

In the first Saudi reaction to the Iraqi dictator’s arrest, Prince Bandar ibn Sultan, the Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, said Saddam Hussein was a menace to the Arab world. “His reign of terror will be remembered for its brutality, aggression and oppression,” the Reuters news agency quoted the prince as saying.

The Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE, hoped that Saddam’s arrest would strengthen regional stability.

“The capture of Saddam Hussein is an achievement, a step on the road toward restoring stability and national unity in Iraq...inasmuch as the former regime is a destabilizing factor in the region,” said GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Atiyya.

“We hope that (it) will be followed by other achievements on the road toward transferring power to the Iraqi people, a rapid restoration of constitutional life in Iraq and the formation of an elected and representative government,” Atiyya said.

Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa described the capture an important event. “The arrest marks the complete collapse of the former regime,” he told reporters.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher hoped the arrest would speed up the handover of power in Iraq. “I hope it will lead to an acceleration of the process of entrusting the Iraqi people to govern their own affairs,” he said.

But ordinary Arabs grudgingly welcomed the capture as their satisfaction that the dictator was behind bars tinged with annoyance that Bush would get the credit.

They also said the fight against US occupation in Iraq was not yet over for Bush, whom many Arabs believe has waged a campaign against them and other Muslims after the Sept. 11 attacks.

In Kuwait, occupied by Iraq in 1990-1991, the reaction was one of joy. Some cars honked horns along a seaside road that during the occupation had been lined with Iraqi army positions. Others sent mobile phone messages to spread the news.

“We are so happy they got him...The people of Iraq have been brainwashed by the Saddam regime. They need another 20 years to realize that the Kuwaitis are not to blame for the Iraqis’ plight,” said Kuwaiti Mohammed Al-Hudieb.

“It is happy news but we wish it were the Iraqi people who had captured him, not US troops, because this will give Bush a boost in the upcoming election,” said Bahraini salesman Hussein Jaafar.

“I don’t like Saddam, but as an Arab I wouldn’t like to see them (Americans) dragging him around Baghdad,” said Syrian student Abdul-Nasser.

For others, the capture was disappointing news. Saddam may have brutally oppressed his people, but many in the Middle East saw him as the only Arab leader who stood up to the US, which they said rode roughshod through the region.

“Of course it’s bad news. To us, Saddam was a symbol of defiance to the US plans in the region. And we support any person who stands in the face of the American dominance,” said Azzam Hneidi, a member of Jordan’s parliament.

But Arabs, some incredulous that Saddam was caught alive, said the US success might prove fleeting because Iraqis were not fighting for Saddam but to rid the country of US troops.

“The situation in Iraq will not change much. I don’t think the resistance was linked to Saddam and it will increase as was the case after the death of Uday and Qusay, sons of Saddam,” said Yemeni political analyst Saeed Shabet.

In Gaza and the West Bank, where Palestinians are fighting against an Israeli occupation, some were in somber mood that the US, perceived as providing unswerving support for Israel, could claim victory. (Additional input from agencies)