I GUESS DICK CHENEY WAS RIGHT AFTER ALL:

British troops walked into the historic centre of Basra yesterday to be greeted by thousands of Iraqi civilians flocking on to the streets to welcome them as liberators. . . .

English-speaking Iraqis came up to reporters to express their own delight. Among them was Saad Ahmed, a 54-year-old retired English teacher. “We have been waiting for you for a long time,” he said. “We are now happier than you.

“You are victorious as far as the war is concerned, but we are victorious in life. We have been living, not as human beings, for more than 30 years.”

His son Emad, a 23-year-old student, added: “It’s a great day for us and for all Iraqi people. Every family in Iraq have one, two, three deaths because of Saddam, either from wars or in his prisons. I am very happy.” One of those joining in the celebrations, Qusay Rawah, said the downfall of Saddam’s regime in Basra was a day “we had prayed for”.

Of course, you can’t please everybody:

But Jelil, a resident of the Old Town, denied that there was any cause for celebration. “The people in Basra feel defeated,” he said. “Sure, we certainly hated Saddam, but we also hate the British and Americans.”

Maybe Jelil can get French citizenship, though the “hating Saddam” part might disqualify him. . . .