Celebratory gunfire erupted in Baghdad yesterday and world leaders - including the war's most prominent opponents - hailed the capture of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, saying it could mark the beginning of a peaceful new future for Iraq.

　　British Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the capture of Saddam Hussein yesterday, saying the deposed leader "has gone from power, he won't be coming back." The arrest, he said, created an opportunity to forge unity and peace in Iraq and could start of a new era there.

　　"The shadow of Saddam has finally lifted from the Iraqi people," he said in brief comments at his 10 Downing St. office. "We give thanks for that but let this be more than a cause simply for rejoicing."

　　He said the Iraqi people - and Saddam's remaining, violent supporters - could now trust that his decades of brutal rule were truly over.

　　Blair, who braved intense domestic opposition to be US President George W. Bush's closest ally in the war, said the capture "gives an opportunity for Saddam to be tried in Iraqi courts for his crimes against the Iraqi people."

　　French President Jacques Chirac, one of the leading voices against the invasion of Iraq, was "delighted" at the arrest, said his spokeswoman Catherine Colonna.

　　"It's a major event that should strongly contribute to democracy and stability in Iraq and allow the Iraqis to master their destiny in a sovereign Iraq," Chirac said, according to Colonna.

　　German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, whose ties to America also suffered serious, although short-lived, strain because of his opposition to the war, congratulated Bush on Saddam's capture.

　　"With much happiness I learned about the arrest of Saddam Hussein," Schroeder wrote in a letter sent to Bush and made public by the German government. "Saddam Hussein caused unspeakable sorrow to his own people and the whole region. I hope that his arrest will support the efforts of the international community to rebuild and stabilize Iraq."

　　Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski also welcomed the news but warned that the arrest could spark retaliation from Saddam's supporters.

　　"The coming days could be equally dangerous as these past days," he said. Poland commands thousands of international peacekeeping troops in Iraq.

　　The Australian government, which staunchly supported the war, welcomed the news. "Saddam's capture is a huge boost for the cause of liberty and democracy in Iraq," Prime Minister John Howard said in a statement.

　　"It is a great day for humankind," said Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio.