By Jill Lawless
The Associated Press

LONDON - World leaders expressed delight and relief Sunday at the capture of Saddam Hussein, with supporters and opponents of the Iraq war agreeing the arrest could mark a milestone in the country's journey toward peace.

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The U.S. military announced that Saddam was apprehended without a struggle in a dirt pit in a farmyard near his hometown of Tikrit, ending one of the most intense manhunts in history.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a staunch ally of President Bush on Iraq, said the capture would convince Iraqis that "Saddam has gone from power, he won't be coming back."

"Where his rule meant terror and division and brutality, let his capture bring about unity, reconciliation and peace," Blair said.

French President Jacques Chirac, a firm opponent of the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam, said the former dictator's capture was "a major event that should strongly contribute to democracy and stability in Iraq," according to his spokeswoman, Catherine Colonna.

Across the Arab world, many expressed joy that Saddam would never return to rule Iraq. But others were disappointed that he was captured by Americans and saw his surrender as a stain on Arab honor.

"What the Americans are doing in Iraq and everywhere else is humiliating," said Samer Saado, a flower-shop employee in Damascus, Syria. "There's nothing to say we're not next in line."

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Saddam's capture could help stabilize Iraq.

"It offers an opportunity to give fresh impetus to the search for peace and stability in Iraq, on the basis of an inclusive and fully transparent process," Annan said.

Most governments that opposed the war nonetheless welcomed news of Saddam's arrest.

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said the capture would help improve security and spur political settlement in Iraq. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose ties to America suffered strain because of his opposition to the war, congratulated Bush on the capture and said he greeted the news "with much happiness."