Iraq invasion was ‘right decision’: British PM
March 5th, 2010 - 8:33 pm ICT by IANS
London, March 5 (IANS) British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Friday defended Britain’s 2003 invasion of Iraq as the “right decision” but admitted the invading forces’ failure to win peace more quickly.
“It was the right decision and it was for the right reasons,” Brown told an inquiry headed by former civil servant Sir John Chilcot here.
Brown, who was finance minister in Tony Blair’s cabinet at the time, described the decision to invade Iraq as “the gravest decision of all” - taken because Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had consistently flouted international law.
“We cannot have an international community that works if we have either terrorists who are breaking these rules or aggressor-states that refuse to obey the laws of the international community,” said Brown.
However, he said he was “developing the concept of a just peace” - with reconstruction and giving people a “stake in the future” - as a lesson of the Iraq invasion.
“We won the battle within almost seven days but it has taken almost seven years to win the peace in Iraq,” Brown said.
Former cabinet minister Claire Short, who quit the government in 2003, said last month that Brown was “marginalised and not in the inner group” when Blair took Britain to war against Iraq.
- Blair expresses regret for Iraq war victims - Jan 22, 2011
- Blair could have pulled troops back on brink of 2003 invasion of Iraq: Straw - Feb 03, 2011
- Tony Blair was offered final chance to avoid Iraq invasion, Chilcot inquiry told - Jan 21, 2011
- Malaysian mock tribunal finds Bush, Blair guilty of 'crimes against peace' - Nov 24, 2011
- Secret memos expose link between UK Govt, oil firms and invasion of Iraq - Apr 19, 2011
- British PM to face 'politically risky' Iraq inquiry - Jan 22, 2010
- 'Blair did no trust cabinet on 'Iraq war discussions, feared leaks - Jan 29, 2011
- Iraq invasion was right even if Saddam Hussein didn't possess WMD: Blair - Dec 12, 2009
- UK would not have invaded Iraq 'if we knew what we know now': Miliband - Apr 20, 2010
- Nelson Mandela was dismayed when "small man" Bush invaded Iraq - Nov 12, 2010
- Man jailed in Britain for hate rant over Iraq war - Jul 30, 2011
- Iraq war illegal, Tony Blair was told - Jul 02, 2010
- Iraq war illegal, says Clegg - Jul 22, 2010
- UK inquiry committee to hear Blair give Iraq War evidence, but in secret - Dec 13, 2009
- I would have invaded Iraq, WMDs or not: Tony Blair - Dec 12, 2009
Tags: 2003 invasion of iraq, aggressor, british prime minister, british prime minister gordon brown, cabinet minister, civil servant, finance minister, gordon brown, invasion of iraq, iraq invasion, iraqi dictator, london march, prime minister gordon brown, reconstruction, right decision, saddam hussein, seven days, seven years, sir john, tony blair