The decision to invade Iraq in 2003 had “no sound mandate in international law”, a Dutch inquiry said on 13 January, in the first independent legal assessment of the decision. It emerged that the Dutch government had decided to join the war after Blair had sent the Dutch prime minister a private letter seemingly giving the British government’s views on Saddam’s nuclear weapons programme.
Under diplomatic protocol, “private letters” are the property of the sender and the British government refused the enquiry a copy of the letter.
Turkish demo arrests
Topics: Iraq