Allawi: "same as Saddam's time"

Today, a report for The Observer will quote Iyad Allawi criticising the new Iraqi governments human abuses. The former appointed Interim Prime Minister of Iraq will be quoted as saying

People are doing the same as Saddam's time and worse. ... It is an appropriate comparison. People are remembering the days of Saddam. These were the precise reasons that we fought Saddam and now we are seeing the same things.

The article quotes him urging attention to the issue

He said that immediate action was needed to dismantle militias that continue to operate with impunity. If nothing is done, 'the disease infecting [the Ministry of the Interior] will become contagious and spread to all ministries and structures of Iraq's government', he said.

In a chilling warning to the West over the danger of leaving behind a disintegrating Iraq, Allawi added: 'Iraq is the centrepiece of this region. If things go wrong, neither Europe nor the US will be safe.'

It is noted that the first incident of Interior Ministry abuse recorded on this blog was in July 2004, less than one month after Allawi began his role as Interim Prime Minister. The abuses continued throughout the period in which he governed.