> Bush-Blair excuse for the Downing Street Memo doesn’t hold water
20 June 2005, 00:50
Your column is a little off the mark. In fact, they did go through the UN by getting
UNSCR 1441 passed. The real lie is that Iraq didn’t comply with UNSCR 1441. The
obvious follow up question was: How was Iraq in breach of UNSCR 1441?
The main assertion that Iraq was in material breach of UNSCR 1441 was that the
Iraqi report on the state of their WMD programs submitted on December 7, 2002
in compliance with UNSCR 1441 was full of omissions and false information. In
light of what we now know, this assertion was false. The Iraqi claim that their
WMD programs ended in the early 1990s and all remaining materials were
destroyed was true.
Furthermore, the reports submitted by the IAEA on January 27, 2003 and by
UNMOVIC on February 28, 2003 clearly stated that, with the exception of a few
outstanding concerns, Iraq was in substantial compliance with UNSCR 1441.
These reports were completely ignored by the US and UK as they ran rough shod
over the UN on their precipitous and predetermined course toward the invasion of
Iraq.
To this day, the Bush and Blair administrations continue to promulgate the lie that
Iraq "flouted" UNSCR 1441.
Your column is a little off the mark. In fact, they did go through the UN by getting
UNSCR 1441 passed. The real lie is that Iraq didn’t comply with UNSCR 1441. The
obvious follow up question was: How was Iraq in breach of UNSCR 1441?
The main assertion that Iraq was in material breach of UNSCR 1441 was that the
Iraqi report on the state of their WMD programs submitted on December 7, 2002
in compliance with UNSCR 1441 was full of omissions and false information. In
light of what we now know, this assertion was false. The Iraqi claim that their
WMD programs ended in the early 1990s and all remaining materials were
destroyed was true.
Furthermore, the reports submitted by the IAEA on January 27, 2003 and by
UNMOVIC on February 28, 2003 clearly stated that, with the exception of a few
outstanding concerns, Iraq was in substantial compliance with UNSCR 1441.
These reports were completely ignored by the US and UK as they ran rough shod
over the UN on their precipitous and predetermined course toward the invasion of
Iraq.
To this day, the Bush and Blair administrations continue to promulgate the lie that
Iraq "flouted" UNSCR 1441.