The Iraqi government has announced plans to proceed with the execution of two of Saddam Hussein’s co-defendants despite international criticism over the handling of Hussein’s hanging. The New York Times reports that on the streets of the Arab world, the former Iraqi president has undergone a resurgence of admiration and awe over the past week. Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Saturday his government might cut off diplomatic relations with countries that criticized Hussein’s execution. If Maliki goes ahead with his threat, one of those countries affected could be Britain. On Saturday, British Finance Minister Gordon Brown said this about the execution:

Gordon Brown: “Now that we know the full picture of what happened, I think we can sum this up as a deplorable set of events. It is something, of course, of which the Iraqi government has now expressed its anxiety and its shame at.”

Gordon Brown has been tipped to succeed Tony Blair as British prime minister.