Iraq War Decision Justified: Australia’s Howard

The Scotsman quotes the former prime minister as saying he felt “more sorrow, regret and apology than you may ever know” for the grief of those who lost loved ones in the Iraq war after the long-awaited official report delivered a “damning verdict” on his government’s role in the 2003 conflict.

In his 12-volume document, Sir John placed the burden of responsibility on Blair and revealed the extent of his alliance with the then USA president George W. Bush to whom he promised an unconditional support for the invasion of Iraq in 2002.

Inquiry chair John Chilcot said his report was “an account of an intervention which went badly wrong, with consequences to this day”.

“At the particular time we made those comments, we were like the rest of the world, trusting of the information that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and if that was the case, we believed that presented a very real threat to a great many people”.

Mr Howard convened a cabinet meeting ahead of a live national television broadcast announcing Australia’s decision to commit troops to any US-led coalition to disarm Iraq. “There was little appetite to question Lord Goldsmith (Attorney General) about his advice” that the invasion was legal, and “no substantive discussion of the legal issues was recorded”, the report says.

General Tim Cross – the most senior British officer involved in planning the war – said former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would not listen either to the United Nations or the UK about the aftermath of the invasion.

The threat in reality, Chilcot said, was not imminent at all – and Blair also reportedly ignored warnings that Iraq would be thrown into civil war after the invasion happened. “I believe I made the right decision and the world is better and safer as a result of it”. Where there had been mistakes they were minor ones involving “planning and process”, he said.

It brings to mind a prescient prediction made by Tony Blair in a note to George W. Bush shortly before the invasion, revealed by Chilcot.

He said the invasion was unnecessary, but not illegal, and war was not the last resort.

Sir Edward said: “I opposed the Iraq War back in 2003 and remember being one of the sixteen Conservative MPs who did not support going to war”.

“Since 2003 until now, our country has been a scene of destruction, killing, massacres, explosions and sectarianism”, Baghdad resident Ali al-Saraji said.

“We have, however, concluded that the circumstances in which it was decided that there was a legal basis for military action were far from satisfactory”, Sir John said yesterday.

He added: “It wasn’t that I wanted to believe it”. In his memoirs, Blair would say that “I have always been more interested in religion than politics”.