French President Jacques Chirac on Sunday hailed the capture of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, which he said constitutes a "major event," his spokeswoman said.  

"The President of the Republic is glad with the arrest of Saddam Hussein. It is a major event that will strongly contribute to the democratization and stabilization of Iraq," said French presidential spokeswoman Catherine Colonna.

The capture will allow "the Iraqi to win back the control of their future in a sovereign Iraq," she said.

Iraq's US administrator Paul Bremer said Saddam was arrested at 8:30 p.m. (1730 GMT) Saturday in a raid near Tikrit, Saddam's hometown. About 600 coalition troops joined the operation.

The US forces also showed video of captured Saddam, who was wearing a beard and undergoing a medical examination. Saddam is "in good health" and with no injuries, a US spokesman told reporters.

(Xinhua News Agency December 15, 2003)