Iraq WMD, Case for War
What was the case for war? How was it justified?
Sunday, September 19, 2004
The War Was Illegal
The War Was Illegal: "Published on Friday, September 17, 2004 by the Guardian/UK | The War Was Illegal | Editorial
The declaration of the United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, on the Iraq war was shocking in its simplicity. He described it for the first time as 'illegal'. No caveats. No equivocation. None of the ambiguity loved by diplomats, especially at UN headquarters. The shock is in part because Annan is an inherently cautious individual. He has long professed that his role is basically that of a civil servant carrying out the decisions of the UN security council. But he has finally made his stand, angered by the damage the war has done to Iraq, to the international community and to the UN. He has been building up to these outspoken comments. Only days before the invasion of Iraq in March last year, he hinted at his opposition but without going so far as to declare it illegal, only saying that without a second UN resolution the 'war's legitimacy will be questioned and the support for it will be diminished'. In September, he returned to this theme, saying pre-emptive strikes 'could set precedents for the proliferation of the unilateral and lawless use of force'. He finally left all restraint behind in an interview broadcast by the BBC on Wednesday night in which he concluded: 'From our point of view and from the charter point of view, it was illegal.' "
The War Was Illegal: "Published on Friday, September 17, 2004 by the Guardian/UK | The War Was Illegal | Editorial
The declaration of the United Nations secretary-general, Kofi Annan, on the Iraq war was shocking in its simplicity. He described it for the first time as 'illegal'. No caveats. No equivocation. None of the ambiguity loved by diplomats, especially at UN headquarters. The shock is in part because Annan is an inherently cautious individual. He has long professed that his role is basically that of a civil servant carrying out the decisions of the UN security council. But he has finally made his stand, angered by the damage the war has done to Iraq, to the international community and to the UN. He has been building up to these outspoken comments. Only days before the invasion of Iraq in March last year, he hinted at his opposition but without going so far as to declare it illegal, only saying that without a second UN resolution the 'war's legitimacy will be questioned and the support for it will be diminished'. In September, he returned to this theme, saying pre-emptive strikes 'could set precedents for the proliferation of the unilateral and lawless use of force'. He finally left all restraint behind in an interview broadcast by the BBC on Wednesday night in which he concluded: 'From our point of view and from the charter point of view, it was illegal.' "
t r u t h o u t - Interview: Seymour Hersh's Alternative History of Bush's War
t r u t h o u t - Interview: Seymour Hersh's Alternative History of Bush's War: "By Mary Jacoby | Salon.com | Saturday 18 September 2004
The crack investigative reporter tells Salon about a disastrous battle the U.S. brass hushed up, the frightening True Believers in the White House, and how Iran, not Israel, may have manipulated us into war.
...
His revelations, including an investigation of a group of neoconservatives at the Pentagon who set up their own special intelligence unit to press the case for invading Iraq, have consistently broken news.
t r u t h o u t - Interview: Seymour Hersh's Alternative History of Bush's War: "By Mary Jacoby | Salon.com | Saturday 18 September 2004
The crack investigative reporter tells Salon about a disastrous battle the U.S. brass hushed up, the frightening True Believers in the White House, and how Iran, not Israel, may have manipulated us into war.
...
His revelations, including an investigation of a group of neoconservatives at the Pentagon who set up their own special intelligence unit to press the case for invading Iraq, have consistently broken news.
t r u t h o u t - Iraq Had No WMD: The Final Verdict -- finds no evidence of a capability to build WMD, only of intention to rebuild
t r u t h o u t - Iraq Had No WMD: The Final VerdictBy Julian Borger | The Independent U.K. | Saturday 18 September 2004
Washington - The comprehensive 15-month search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has concluded that the only chemical or biological agents that Saddam Hussein's regime was working on before last year's invasion were small quantities of poisons, most likely for use in assassinations.
A draft of the Iraq Survey Group's final report circulating in Washington found no sign of the alleged illegal stockpiles that the US and Britain presented as the justification for going to war, nor did it find any evidence of efforts to reconstitute Iraq's nuclear weapons programme.
It also appears to play down an interim report which suggested there was evidence that Iraq was developing "test amounts" of ricin for use in weapons. Instead, the ISG report says in its conclusion that there was evidence to suggest the Iraqi regime planned to restart its illegal weapons programmes if UN sanctions were lifted.
Charles Duelfer, the head of the ISG, has said he intends to deliver his final report by the end of the month. It is likely to become a heated issue in the election campaign.
President George Bush now admits that stockpiles have not been found in Iraq but claimed as recently as Thursday that "Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons, and he could have passed that capability on to the enemy".
The draft Duelfer report, according to the New York Times, finds no evidence of a capability, but only of an intention to rebuild that capability once the UN embargo had been removed and Iraq was no longer the target of intense international scrutiny.
t r u t h o u t - Iraq Had No WMD: The Final VerdictBy Julian Borger | The Independent U.K. | Saturday 18 September 2004
Washington - The comprehensive 15-month search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has concluded that the only chemical or biological agents that Saddam Hussein's regime was working on before last year's invasion were small quantities of poisons, most likely for use in assassinations.
A draft of the Iraq Survey Group's final report circulating in Washington found no sign of the alleged illegal stockpiles that the US and Britain presented as the justification for going to war, nor did it find any evidence of efforts to reconstitute Iraq's nuclear weapons programme.
It also appears to play down an interim report which suggested there was evidence that Iraq was developing "test amounts" of ricin for use in weapons. Instead, the ISG report says in its conclusion that there was evidence to suggest the Iraqi regime planned to restart its illegal weapons programmes if UN sanctions were lifted.
Charles Duelfer, the head of the ISG, has said he intends to deliver his final report by the end of the month. It is likely to become a heated issue in the election campaign.
President George Bush now admits that stockpiles have not been found in Iraq but claimed as recently as Thursday that "Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons, and he could have passed that capability on to the enemy".
The draft Duelfer report, according to the New York Times, finds no evidence of a capability, but only of an intention to rebuild that capability once the UN embargo had been removed and Iraq was no longer the target of intense international scrutiny.
Friday, September 17, 2004
National Intelligence Estimate warning of potential civil war in Iraq: Grim Iraq forecast ignored by Bush
TheStar.com - Grim Iraq forecast ignored by Bush: "Sep. 17, 2004. 06:33 AM | President spins `fantasy': Kerry | Casualties, strife not in campaign | TIM HARPER | WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON�An intelligence report forecasting a grim future in Iraq has sparked some of the sharpest clashes of the U.S. presidential campaign, with Democrat John Kerry accusing George W. Bush of living in a 'fantasy world of spin.'
'The president stood right where I'm standing and did not even acknowledge that more than 1,000 men and women have lost their lives in Iraq,' Kerry told a U.S. National Guard audience yesterday in Las Vegas, referring to a speech Bush made to them Tuesday.
'He did not tell you that with each passing day, we're seeing more chaos, more violence, more indiscriminate killings.
'He did not tell you that with each passing week, our enemies are getting bolder. He did not tell you that with each passing month, stability and security seem farther and farther away.'
The Massachusetts senator was armed with news, first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by the White House, that Bush was briefed in late July on a National Intelligence Estimate warning of potential civil war in Iraq."
TheStar.com - Grim Iraq forecast ignored by Bush: "Sep. 17, 2004. 06:33 AM | President spins `fantasy': Kerry | Casualties, strife not in campaign | TIM HARPER | WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON�An intelligence report forecasting a grim future in Iraq has sparked some of the sharpest clashes of the U.S. presidential campaign, with Democrat John Kerry accusing George W. Bush of living in a 'fantasy world of spin.'
'The president stood right where I'm standing and did not even acknowledge that more than 1,000 men and women have lost their lives in Iraq,' Kerry told a U.S. National Guard audience yesterday in Las Vegas, referring to a speech Bush made to them Tuesday.
'He did not tell you that with each passing day, we're seeing more chaos, more violence, more indiscriminate killings.
'He did not tell you that with each passing week, our enemies are getting bolder. He did not tell you that with each passing month, stability and security seem farther and farther away.'
The Massachusetts senator was armed with news, first reported by The New York Times and confirmed by the White House, that Bush was briefed in late July on a National Intelligence Estimate warning of potential civil war in Iraq."
Thursday, September 16, 2004
Iraq war was illegal and breached UN charter, says Annan
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Iraq war was illegal and breached UN charter, says Annan: "Iraq war was illegal and breached UN charter, says Annan | Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger in Washington | Thursday September 16, 2004 | The Guardian
The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, declared explicitly for the first time last night that the US-led war on Iraq was illegal.
Mr Annan said that the invasion was not sanctioned by the UN security council or in accordance with the UN's founding charter. In an interview with the BBC World Service broadcast last night, he was asked outright if the war was illegal. He replied: "Yes, if you wish."
He then added unequivocally: "I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter. From our point of view and from the charter point of view it was illegal." ...
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Iraq war was illegal and breached UN charter, says Annan: "Iraq war was illegal and breached UN charter, says Annan | Ewen MacAskill and Julian Borger in Washington | Thursday September 16, 2004 | The Guardian
The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, declared explicitly for the first time last night that the US-led war on Iraq was illegal.
Mr Annan said that the invasion was not sanctioned by the UN security council or in accordance with the UN's founding charter. In an interview with the BBC World Service broadcast last night, he was asked outright if the war was illegal. He replied: "Yes, if you wish."
He then added unequivocally: "I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter. From our point of view and from the charter point of view it was illegal." ...
