London, July 31 (ANI): The inquiry into the fiascos that took placeuring the Iraq War (Second Gulf War) in 2003, is likely to deliver aamning verdict against former British Prime Minister Tony Blair onour counts.
The Mail on Sunday has been told that Blair will be held to account onour main failings: 1) Bogus claims that were made about Saddamussein's weapons of mass destruction;2) Not telling the Britishublic about his secret pledge with George Bush to go to war; 3)eeping the Cabinet in the dark by his 'sofa government' style and 4)ailing to plan to avoid the post-war chaos in Iraq.
The inquiry headed by Lord John Chilcot Inquiry comes eight yearsfter Blair went to war against Saddam Hussein with George Bushhe paper quotes sources, as saying that the reputations of Blair andey allies will suffer major damage when the report is published thisutumn.
Blair, former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and ex-Downing Street spinoctor Alastair Campbell are all expected to be criticized.
All those taken to task by Chilcot's five-strong panel of experts willeceive notice in the next few weeks of the inquiry's conclusions.hey will, however, be given a final chance to respond to theirlleged failings before the report is finalized.
A total of 179 British soldiers died in Iraq while estimates for theumber of Iraqi dead vary from 100,000 to 650,000.
Although Saddam was toppled within weeks, the invasion led to a bloodyftermath and there were claims that it contributed to increasederrorism in the UK and elsewhere.
In evidence, a defiant Blair said he had no regrets about the war andaintained Britain would ultimately be able to look back on it withimmense pride'
The Chilcot Inquiry, set up by then Prime Minister Gordon Brown twoears ago, is the third inquiry into the conflict.
It followed the Butler Inquiry into the intelligence failings and theutton Inquiry into the death of Ministry of Defence weapons expert Dravid Kelly.
Former civil servant Sir John Chilcot, 72, was asked to conduct a moreearching investigation spanning the period from 2001, two yearsefore the war, right through to 2009. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
