Bush says 'Iraq's Mandelas' all killed by Hussein [View All]

Source: AFP

US President George W. Bush on Thursday declared there were no more "Mandelas" left to help aid reconciliation in Iraq because former president Saddam Hussein had killed them all.

There could be no "instant democracy in Iraq" because people are still recovering from Saddam Hussein's brutal rule," Bush told reporters.

Referring to former South African president Nelson Mandela, who led the fight against apartheid to become a symbol of reconciliation and hope, Bush said of Iraq: "I heard somebody say, "Now where's Mandela?"

"Well, Mandela is dead. Because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas."

The former Iraqi dictator, who was executed in December after his trial on charges of crimes against humanity, was "a brutal tyrant that divided people up and split families. And people are recovering from this," Bush said.

Read more: http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=africa&item=070920152919.badxlkjq.php