Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to embrace ''brotherly coexistence'' and not to hate US-led foreign troops in a goodbye letter posted on a Website on Wednesday, a day after Iraq's highest court upheld his death sentence and ordered him hanged within 30 days.
Meanwhile, a top government official said Saddam's execution could proceed without the approval of Iraq's president, meaning there were no more legal obstacles to sending the deposed dictator to the gallows.
The letter was written by the deposed leader after the Iraqi court handed him the death penalty on November 5.
Below are excerpts from the letter:
To the great nation, to the people of our country, and humanity,
Many of you have known the writer of this letter to be faithful, honest, caring for others, wise, of sound judgment, just, decisive, careful with the wealth of the people and the state ... and that his heart is big enough to embrace all without discrimination.
You have known your brother and leader very well and he never bowed to the despots and, in accordance with the wishes of those who loved him, remained a sword and a banner.
This is how you want your brother, son or leader to be ... and those who will lead you (in the future) should have the same qualifications.
Here, I offer my soul to God as a sacrifice, and if He wants, He will send it to heaven with the martyrs, or, He will postpone that ... so let us be patient and depend on Him against the unjust nations.
Remember that God has enabled you to become an example of love, forgiveness and brotherly coexistence…
I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave a space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking and keeps away one from balanced thinking and making the right choice…
I also call on you not to hate the peoples of the other countries that attacked us and differentiate between the decision-makers and people…
Anyone who repents – whether in Iraq or abroad – you must forgive him…
You should know that among the aggressors, there are people who support your struggle against the invaders, and some of them volunteered for the legal defense of prisoners, including Saddam Hussein…
Some of these people wept profusely when they said goodbye to me…
Dear faithful people, I say goodbye to you, but I will be with the merciful God who helps those who take refuge in him and who will never disappoint any faithful, honest believer ... God is Great ... God is great ... Long live our nation ... Long live our great struggling people ... Long live Iraq, long live Iraq ... Long live Palestine ... Long live jihad and the Mujahideen.
Saddam Hussein
President and Commander in Chief of the Iraqi Mujahid Armed Forces
Additional clarification note:
I have written this letter because the lawyers told me that the so-called criminal court – established and named by the invaders – will allow the so-called defendants the chance for a last word. But that court and its chief judge did not give us the chance to say a word, and issued its verdict without explanation and read out the sentence – dictated by the invaders – without presenting the evidence. I wanted the people to know this.
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