Blair lied over Iraq
September 18, 2004 12:00 AM
New evidence has emerged that Tony Blair hoodwinked the public over Iraq and used weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as a way to get round legal obstacles that stood in the way of invasion. Leaked government papers suggest that the decision to oust Saddam Hussein by force was made in collaboration with America at least a year before the conflict. Blair has always maintained that no decision was taken so far in advance.
The papers also show that Foreign Secretary Jack Straw wrote to Blair months before the conflict, saying that post-war Iraq would pose major problems. Blair was advised by officials that the country risked 'reverting to type' - with a succession of military coups installing a dictator who could then go on to acquire his own WMD - and that British troops would be trapped in Iraq 'for many years'.
Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary said "If these documents are accurate they provide a devastating insight into the political run-up to war in Iraq. They demonstrate that the Government agreed with the Bush administration on regime change in Iraq more than a year before military action was taken. WMD was a cover for a determination towards regime change and that was known and understood 12 months before military action was taken. Jack Straw and others were warning that there was no way of predicting the consequences if Saddam Hussein was removed."
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