'Saddam St' proposed in Jakarta

'Saddam St' proposed in Jakarta

Most Indonesians have little sympathy for Saddam Hussein

A senior Indonesian politician has proposed that a street in Jakarta be renamed after Saddam Hussein.

Sabam Sirait, one of the founders of President Megawati Sukarnoputri's ruling party, said the gesture would "honour the heroic struggle of the Iraqi people against the invading US-led force".

"I respect the people of Iraq," he told the BBC World Service's World Today programme. "The Iraqi people are so patriotic against the unilateral action of the United States Government."

The authorities in Indonesia - the world's most populous Muslim nation - have repeatedly condemned the war on Iraq.

So too have the Indonesian public, with huge numbers protesting against the conflict.

But while many Indonesians praised the Iraqi people for taking a stand against the US, most expressed little sympathy for Saddam Hussein himself.

According to the Jakarta Post newspaper, Sabam Sirait has already asked the city council to consider his request.

But the editor of the paper, Lela Madjiah, says the proposal is unlikely to be taken seriously.

"If you think about Islam, there are other people who are more important than Saddam," she told the BBC.