The Vatican’s French envoy has returned from Iraq after talking “peace” with a bloody-handed murderer, saying that Saddam Hussein is “open to dialog,” and that “peace is still possible.”

In his departure statement in Baghdad, released by the Vatican on Monday, Etchegaray said: “Amid the big clouds that are piling up in these times, there has been a little clearing” which should be used by all to “respond to the needs of the international community.”

“The slightest step of the next days carries the value of a big leap toward peace,” the cardinal said in the statement, issued in French. “Peace is still possible in Iraq and for Iraq,” the envoy said, adding that he headed back to Rome “crying out more strongly than ever before” that peace can be achieved.

Wow, isn’t that encouraging? Dialog is so very important, n’est ce pas? So what did Saddam’s half of this cozy little tête-à-tête sound like?

“What is wanted from Iraq? Isn’t it the right of the Iraqis and Arabs to say that the reason for this aggression is because Iraq is an Arab Muslim country?,” Saddam was quoted by state television as telling Etchegaray.

“Then why is this aggressiveness with false pretexts, although Iraq does not have any weapons of mass destruction at a time Israel has all kinds of weapons of mass destruction, kill the Palestinians and destroy their property though they are an unarmed people,” Saddam said.

“Isn’t this a clear racial and religious discrimination? This is the question,” he said. “I think if the Pope addresses this question, he will be influential in Christian communities. This is his historic responsibility and his responsibility in front of God.”