Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party today threatened to retaliate against the US if the ousted leader is executed. The warning came on the same day a letter written by the former dictator urged the Iraqi people not to hate.
"Our party warns again of the results of carrying out such a verdict, on the situation in Iraq and America in particular," a statement by the party posted on the Internet said.
In the statement, which could not be independently verified, the party threatened to target American interests everywhere if Saddam was executed.
Saddam Hussein
"The Ba'ath and the resistance are determined to respond through all possible means and everywhere in a way that will injure America and its interests in case it commits such a crime," said the party.
It also warned Iran against interfering in Iraqi affairs "or else our response will be in the heart of Iran and will get to its head."
The party stressed that executing Saddam and his comrades would only strengthen the resistance and the Ba'ath and make it impossible for them to negotiate with "the occupation" in the future.
"Our party assures that the execution will not weaken the armed resistance but will ignite its fire, widen its base and double the number of its members," read the statement.
"It will also place on the US administration the responsibility of the killing of more of its soldiers."
A letter from Saddam, authenticated by his lawyer Issam Ghazzawi, called on Iraqis not to hate the forces that invaded Iraq in 2003.
A day after an appeals court upheld the former dictator's death sentence and ordered him to be hanged within a month, a farewell letter from Saddam was posted on a website today
His lawyer said it was written on November 5th - the day he was convicted by an Iraqi tribunal for ordering the killings of scores of Shiite Muslims in the city of Dujail in 1982.
"I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking," the letter said.
Mr Ghazzawi said the letter was released yesterday and published on Saddam's former Baath Party's website today.
The deposed leader said he was writing the letter because his lawyers had told him the Iraqi High Tribunal which tried his case would give him an opportunity to say a final 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," Saddam wrote.
"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 honest believer."
The letter was released as Saddam's last legal means of avoiding execution came under question. A spokesman for President Jalal Talabani said today the appeals court order upholding the death sentence might not require presidential Talabani's approval to carry out the execution. Iraqi officials had said such a decision must be ratified by Mr Talabani and Iraq's two vice presidents. But presidential spokesman Hiwa Osman said that was not necessarily the case. "Some people believe there is no need for his approval," Mr Osman said. "We still have to hear from the court as to how the procedure can be carried out."
Agencies