FYI: Thatcher reveals her doubts over basis for Iraq war (niet aan Balkenende verklappen, he)

[Henk Elegeert]

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http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article319542.ece

"
Thatcher reveals her doubts over basis for Iraq war

By Andrew Grice
Published: 14 October 2005

Baroness Thatcher has criticised Tony Blair for taking Britain to war in
Iraq on the basis of flawed evidence about Saddam Hussein's weapons. The
former prime minister's embarrassing criticism emerged as Mr Blair was
among the 670 guests who attended a party to mark her 80th birthday.

Although Lady Thatcher remains a strong supporter of the decision to
topple Saddam by invading Iraq, it is the first time she has questioned
the basis for the war. Yesterday's Washington Post reported that when
asked whether she would have invaded Iraq given the intelligence at the
time, Lady Thatcher replied: "I was a scientist before I was a
politician. And as a scientist I know you need facts, evidence and proof
- and then you check, recheck and check again."

She added: "The fact was that there were no facts, there was no
evidence, and there was no proof. As a politician the most serious
decision you can take is to commit your armed services to war from which
they may not return."

The article was written by the journalist Tina Brown, who said she had
been told Lady Thatcher's view by Lord Palumbo, the former chairman of
the Arts Council, who asked the former prime minister about Iraq when he
had lunch with her six months ago. Lord Palumbo was also among the
guests at last night's party at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel near Hyde
Park, London. The guest list, which was headed by the Queen and the Duke
of Edinburgh, included many former members of Lady Thatcher's cabinets
as well as prominent figures from industry, arts, showbusiness and the
media.

The Tory leader Michael Howard and the two right-wing candidates for the
leadership, David Davis and Liam Fox, were present but the two moderates
- Ken Clarke and David Cameron - had not been invited.

Lady Thatcher's office did not dispute her reported remarks but said she
had been - and remained - in full support of the decision to oust Saddam
by military means, which she always believed would be the only way to
remove him. Aides said she wished that had been achieved by the first
Gulf War, prompted by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, which took place
shortly after she was forced to resign as Prime Minister after losing
the confidence of her cabinet.

Her criticism of Mr Blair's methods comes as a surprise given her
staunch backing for the conflict. In 2002, on a visit to America, she
said she was "proud that Britain stands where we all must stand - as
America's surest and staunchest ally". She told the Heritage Foundation
in Washington: "Prime Minister Blair and I are, as is well known,
political opponents but, in this vital matter, I salute his strong, bold
leadership."

Although Mr Blair condemned Saddam's record in the build-up to the war,
he did not advocate "regime change" because that would have been
illegal. Instead, he sought to build a case on the ground that Saddam's
arsenal put him in breach of United Nations resolutions. After no
weapons of mass destruction were found after the conflict, Mr Blair
sought to justify it by arguing that the world is a better place without
Saddam in power.

The continuing problems in Iraq were highlighted when Jack Straw, the
Foreign Secretary, admitted that it could take up to 10 years to turn
the country into a stable democracy. He told BBC2's Newsnight programme:
"I am optimistic about Iraq. I think in five to 10 years we will see it
becoming stable."

An ICM survey for the programme found that 31 per cent of people wanted
British troops pulled out immediately, while 23 per cent believed a firm
date should be set for withdrawal later. Some 40 per cent indicated they
should stay until the Iraqi security forces were ready to take over.

Mr Straw told the Cabinet yesterday that, with a referendum on the Iraqi
constitution taking place tomorrow, the political strategy for the
country was "on track". He cited higher levels of voter registration
than for the elections earlier this year.

The Foreign Secretary said that transforming a failed state into a
successful democracy would always take time. It took four years to elect
a national government in post-war Germany, but just two in Iraq.

Sir Menzies Campbell, foreign affairs spokesman for the Liberal
Democrats, said Mr Straw's remarks about a 10-year period showed that
the Government did not have a credible exit strategy. "None of this was
ever put before parliament or the British people in March 2003 when
military action commenced," he said.
"

Henk Elegeert

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