BAGHDAD, Oct 27 (AFP) - A new Iraqi political party, whose goals include eliminating the legacy of Saddam Hussein and the debt incurred by his regime, was unveiled Wednesday by a former-partisan of controversial politician Ahmed Chalabi.
The Democratic Party of the Iraqi Nation was launched in Baghdad by Mithal Al-Alusi, who was kicked out of Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress party in mid-September for visiting Israel, with which Iraq has no diplomatic ties.
Like Chalabi's party, the new party's platform is focused on ridding Iraq of the influence and ideas of Saddam's former ruling Baath party and ensuring that no former senior party members are allowed back into positions of political authority.
"The Baath party and its bad ideas are dangerous and there will be no security in Iraq if this fatal party is still alive," said a statement by Alusi's party.
It said peace and stability will come to Iraq only after crimes committed by former Baathists are brought into the open and the guilty punished in public trials.
"The Democratic Party of the Iraqi Nation does not accept the debts incurred under the tyrant and illegal regime ... to kill Iraqis," added the statement.
Iraq is currently saddled with a foreign debt estimated at 120 billion dollars, excluding reparations it owes Kuwait for the 1991 Gulf War, according to the International Monetary Fund. About a third of the money is owed to members of the Paris Club of national creditors.
The US-led authority banned the Baath party after Saddam's fall in April and banished many members from the armed and security forces and other institutions.
But it soon realised it needed to soften its stance as it faced numerous difficulties in rebuilding government institutions and winning over former regime elements from the side of insurgents.
10/27/2004 17:48 GMT - AFP