The farce continues, as yet another delay means we still don’t know if war criminals like Tony Blair will be incriminated by the Iraq war inquiry.
Lindsey German
- The Iraq Inquiry was set up in 2009, nearly six years ago, and finished taking evidence in 2011, four years ago. It has cost nearly £10m and was supposed to report by the end of 2011. Even former Tory foreign secretary Lord Hurd says the delay is a scandal.
- It was the third inquiry into the Iraq war. The previous ones, the Butler and Hutton reports, were widely denounced as whitewashes.
- The Chilcot inquiry was widely considered to be flawed from the start. It was composed of three knights and a baroness.
- Chilcot had a much wider remit that the previous inquiries and took evidence which had not been heard before.
- It is being held up by people who will be criticised in the report.Those people are using expensive lawyers to delay and water down the evidence against them.
- The US government is also holding up the report by refusing to allow publication of conversations by George W Bush and Tony Blair.
- Much of the evidence focussed on the legality of the war and many people think any report will be critical of the disregard which Tony Blair showed for this advice, including the resignation of government legal adviser Elizabeth Filkin on the eve of war.
- Not a single person has been held accountable for the lies which took us to war 12 years ago.
- Tony Blair is still envoy for peace in the Middle East, despite calls for him to be sacked, and last week addressed Republican politicians in Washington with his views on foreign policy. He is a constant and enthusiastic supporters of more wars.
- Those who marched in 2003 in their millions, those who lost loved ones in Iraq, and the millions who have suffered and still suffer in Iraq all deserve an apology and justice.
Protest:
Stop the War will call a protest at Parliament when Sir John Chilcot answers questions about his report at the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Source: Stop the War Coalition
