Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
U.S. followed own timetable on Iraq war: UK envoy
Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:26am EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Keith Weir
LONDON (Reuters) - The United States followed its own military timetable for the 2003 invasion of Iraq rather than allowing diplomacy to run its full course, the former British ambassador to the United Nations said on Friday.
Jeremy Greenstock told a British inquiry into the Iraq war that he did not think that U.N. inspectors had been given enough time to search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD), cited as the reason for war, before the March 2003 invasion.
No such weapons were found after the U.S.-led invasion and overthrow of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, but Greenstock said he remained convinced Iraq was hiding something.
"There was a concealment committee established by Iraq and they were very good at it," he told the inquiry.
He said he believed war would probably still have followed if the United States had agreed to delay the use of force until October, but that the campaign would have had greater legitimacy.
Military planners wanted to launch the campaign early enough to avoid fighting during the hot summer months, he said.
In an opening written statement, Greenstock said only U.S. President George W. Bush was in a position to "switch off" the planning ahead of the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.
"The U.S. and the UK had, well before then, decided that the threat from Iraq, which was genuinely perceived as including the potential threat of the use of WMD, could only be terminated either if Saddam Hussein conceded absolutely everything the resolutions demanded or if his regime fell."
"If this was to be achieved through a U.N. route, that had to happen on a U.S.-ordained timing," he added.
Greenstock, British ambassador at the United Nations from 1998 to 2003, was appearing on the fourth day of a public inquiry into the invasion and subsequent war in which 179 British soldiers were killed.
RUNNING SORE FOR Labor
Former prime minister Tony Blair, Britain's war leader, is expected to appear before the inquiry early in the new year.
Many supporters of Blair's Labour party were angered by his backing for Bush and the invasion and his appearance risks reopening old wounds ahead of an election due by June.
Opinion polls suggest Labour will lose the grip on power it has had since 1997.
Much of Greenstock's testimony focused on failed efforts to secure a U.N. resolution explicitly backing the use of force against Iraq. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
India says troubled by China-Pakistan military ties
also on reuters
Slideshow
Slideshow: Is the sun setting on Dubai?
Video
Video: Ohio town develops recovery plan
Blog: Did Jesus headline the Glastonbury Festival?
More World News
IAEA votes to censure Iran over nuclear cover-up
Philippine clan members investigated after killings
| Video
Pakistani forces kill 15 militants in Khyber region
Israel targets Gaza militants in air strike
India says troubled by China-Pakistan military ties
More World News...
More News
Iraq inquiry hears about Blair shift on regime change
Thursday, 26 Nov 2009 11:57am EST
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Adam Lambert furor spreads to gay community
Banks, world leaders play down Dubai debt threat | Video
Hacked climate emails called a "smear campaign"
Cuba conducts war games with U.S. invasion in mind
Shoppers hit Black Friday sales with pared budgets | Video
Investors to leave Dubai for Abu Dhabi, Egypt
China expert warns of pandemic flu mutation | Video
Gold tumbles as Dubai triggers stampede to dollars | Video
Markets drop on Dubai default fears, but off lows | Video
Dubai Inc may face shakeup after debt standstill
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Venezuela, Iran up friendship
Dubai debt problems shock
Ohio town develops recovery plan
Bittersweet Thanksgiving for troops
New York cheers 83rd Macy's Parade
Philippine media victims mourned
Afghanistan's landmine legacy
UK based bank review poses change
Mumbai remembers victims
Berlusconi escort book goes on sale
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.