Spare Saddam Hussein's life: MEA

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New Delhi: India on Tuesday said former Saddam Hussein's life should be spared—the appeal came barely 30 minutes after a court in Iraq upheld the death awarded to the former dictator.

"We have seen reports which said that an appeals court has confirmed death sentence. It is our hope that the sentence will not be carried out and the former president's life would be spared,” said External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna.

Sarna said New Delhi also hopes that "no steps are taken which might obstruct the process of reconciliation and delay restoration of peace in Iraq."

An appeals court in Baghdad on Tuesday upheld the death sentence given to Saddam on November 5 for the murders of 148 people in a Shiite Muslim town in 1982.

Iraq’s President and two vice presidents must ratify the appeals court decision, and if that is done the former dictator could be hanged in 30 days.

When the death sentence was announced on November 5, India had made a diplomatic comment with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee saying in a statement that he hopes the verdict "will not add to the suffering of the people of Iraq."

Congress explains stand

The Congress, which leads the UPA government said, Hussein must not be executed for peace in West Asia.

"The need of the hour is to end the atmosphere of violence in this part of the world and restore peace and tranquillity. For this, it would be better if the death sentence is averted," AICC General Secretary, Janardhan Dwivedi said on Tuesday.