Central Asian governments reacted negatively to the December 30 execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, news agencies reported. Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman Erzhan Ashikbaev said on December 31 that Hussein\'s execution is unlikely to \"speed up the stabilization of the internal political situation in Iraq.\" \"On the contrary,\" Ashikbaev continued, \"it may lead to a further exacerbation of the military and political situation and escalation of conflicts on religious and ethnic basis.\" Uzbekistan\'s Jahon news agency, controlled by the Foreign Ministry, said that the \"execution on the first day of the sacred holiday of Eid al-Adha has been received with regret in Uzbekistan,\" government-controlled newspaper \"Khalq Sozi\" reported on January 2. Speaking on December 29, Tajik Foreign Ministry spokesman Igor Sattorov speculated that carrying out Hussein\'s death sentence could negatively affect the internal situation in Iraq, Tajik television reported. (RFE/RL)