US scuttled efforts at building consensus for Iraq war: ambassador

[elleng]

The administration of George W. Bush was so dismissive of efforts to get UN approval for an invasion of Iraq that it effectively scuttled attempts at making the war legitimate, a former British ambassador to the UN says.

Sir Jeremy Greenstock, who was the UK's ambassador to the UN from 1998 to 2003, told Britain's Iraq war inquiry that the Bush administration was "decidedly unhelpful" as he struggled to gain support from UN member countries for a resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq.

http://rawstory.com/2009/11/scuttled-efforts-building-consensus-iraq-war-ambassador/

[timeforpeace]

1. So United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 is a figment of our imaginations? Sit down,

Sir Jerry, and rest thee.

[sudopod]

2. Go away.

[Diclotican]

3. Elleng

Elleng

All this, who are blowing now, is something that many of us, who was against the war from the early beginning was dam sure about, and also was vocal about.. This was was made of lies and a disrespect for everything US once was standing for.. I have not the numbers how many times I was disgusting this with my opponent on numerous internet fora where the Iraq war was the hot topic.. And I would say I was right, and the others was dam not right. They was fools... Dam fools... I know it was a ruse, a lie almost 9 year ago.. when US wanted to go to war, but had to "wait" for some support from europe.. When it never materialized we as "Irrelevant" and part of "old europe" as mr Rumsfeld told we was.. Well the OLD EUROPE had it right, and the NEW EUROPE, mostly ex Warsaw pact nations was in the wrong.. We had it right when we was against the war.. And even I who have never been to a demonstration about anything, was demonstrating against the possibility of US going to war in Iraq.. The demonstration failed because US got into the war anyway.. But we was right, everyone of europeans who was against, demonstrated and vroted all types of blogs and other fora.. We had it right from the beginning, and ALL them who supported the war, was wrong. DEAD f***** WRONG

US, and more to the poing George Walker Bush jr, and CO wanted the war with Iraq, and was prepared to lie all the way.. And they did it too.. And they was more than just "unhelpful" to gain support for other UN members, to get some support for making the case.. They wanted the war, and they got the war - without the will of most members of UN..

If it exist some Justis in US today, the gang of GWB should be arrested, and tried for treason, and other war crimes.. If US should have a creed of respect for national and international law, this gentlemen, from the ideologies to the top leaders in both the Bush administration should face trials, and face Justis.. And the US should also as a result of the fact that the war in Iraq was made on false premises get the hell out of Iraq as fast as the last soldier should make it possible to get on a airplane or an ship to transport them home to US.. let the iraqis sort this out for them self, they know what they want, even that it Will cost Halliburton their deals in Iraq when it came to oil wells..

But I am pretty sure that the next regime in Iraq Will not be that friendly to US because of the attack who more or less destroyed Iraq as an nation.. They have to rebuild ANYTHING a civilized nation takes for granted.. Iraq is an text book example for why big powers should be hold in check, and have to obey by decisions in the UN security council..

Bush wanted to revenge the fact that his father GHWB was not able to remove mr Hussein from power in 1991 - The older Bush was smart enough to understand if US walked into Iraq they wandered into a minefield they would NEVER get out of, and he wanted to be shown as a greater leader than his father. Who mr Jr had been in his shadows all his life.. Since he got out of college mr Jr had been in the shadows of his father, who was a far greater man than himself.. Not that I like mr Sr to much, but compared to his son.. Even Sr is rather decent.. He was an misuser of alcoholic beverages to the age of 44, and even tho he doesn't drink after that, he might be what is called a dry drunk. A man who desperately want a drink, but for some reason can't do it..

Mr Bush jr is maybe the most pitifully man who ever sat foot in the White House as President.. He is pitifully because he has NEVER taken responsibility for his actions.. Even when he was a grown man he was saved by his fathers friends, and he was always in the fathers shadow.. Now the truth about this criminal administration is clearly to show for all.. And US NEED TO GET THE RESPONSIBILITY where it belong.. SCREW been so dam civilized mr Obama. Get the Court going on this, and show the world that you have "balls" of Steel. I know he is decent hardworking president, who want the best for anyone.. But on this you doesn't need to be civilized, you need to beat the famous hell out of the opponent.. And is not president Obama from Chicago.. Where the politic ans are used to play it dirty?:. Mr Obama need to make as much noise about the fact that mr GWB and the gang behind him should face trial.. And that the responsibility lains in the hand of mr Bush and mr Cheney, who was the President, and the Vice President of the United States of America when the war started...

If HE DOSENT WANT to take responsibiltiy for his actions, maybe it is time for US to make him take responsibility for his actions.. he is a grown man...

And if the wider population in the US was to ever know this, the tea parties and the other nutt cases in US would go into the night, as the fools they are.. And specially the neo-cons will be blown as what they really is.. No more than war mongers.. Not excactly wat Pearl want to be known as maybe...

Diclotican

[elleng]

4. Thank you, Diclo.

I did admire Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, and feel as sorry for him as I did for General Powell. 'WE' intimidated the entire world. How could that be?

It does appear that the Brits are ahead of us now, but it is amazing to me that Blair etc. went along with it. We shall see what effect this will have on the U.S. population.

[Diclotican]

5. Elleng

Elleng

True he is a brawe man who is telling what he was knowing a long time, but doesn't was allowed to tell when he was ambassdor..

And I feel sorry also for General Powell, he really screw it up before the war, and the world have not looked to kindly to him after it either... And compared to the clown who have taken over the Republican Party after this, Collin Powell looks like a moderate to mee..

I am afraid that millions of your kind will not care, or doesn't that is important more than 8 year after it happened. But hopefully it can happened something - like a congressional hearing at least, where the whole truth about the Iraq war and specially the openings before the war will be scrutinized like it have been doing it in GB... If the truth about the openings to the war was known to a larger population in US, the neo-conservatives, and most of the people in the Republican Administration of mr Bush jr would be in danger of been arrested, tried and maybe even put into prison for many different cases.. I would low to se how Karl Rove would spin this out when he was arrested:P

Well, I'm pretty sure that mr Blair and so on went along with it, against better knowledge to many around him.. I am sure he was warned, and warned again going into Iraq, but that he choose not to listen to them.. Most because he was "Holly believing" that Saddam Hussein was an danger to the world - and that he had billions of WMD weapons.. who he doesn't was allowed to have...

When no weapon was found, first by UN weapons inspectors, and then when the war came, even then no weapon of WMD caliber come along.. Not even from the more than 100 secret sites that CIA doesn't told the UN inspectors of before the war.. The only "weapons" who was found, was weapons who was buried there a decade earlier.. And for a little while was shown av evidence.. But not even there they find the "smoking gun" so to say..

Until Blair got into the war wagon, I admired him.. After this I was not so admirer of mr Blair and what he have a accomplished.. Disappointed and sad was I

Diclotican

[IndianaGreen]

6. Iraq invasion legitimacy was in doubt, Chilcot inquiry told

By refusing to hold Bush regime accountable for law breaking, Obama is denying the American people the sort of Iraq War post-mortem that the Chilcot Inquiry is doing in the UK.

Iraq invasion legitimacy was in doubt, Chilcot inquiry told

Former British ambassador to the United Nation says he threatened to resign over Iraq war

Andrew Sparrow and James Meikle
guardian.co.uk, Friday 27 November 2009 20.50 GMT

Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations at the time of the Iraq war, said yesterday that the lack of widespread international support for the invasion meant its legitimacy was in doubt.

He told the Iraq inquiry that he thought the invasion was "legal but of questionable legitimacy" and urged its chairman, Sir John Chilcot, to consider the importance of legitimacy in international policy-making in his final report.

"If you do something internally that the majority of UN member states think is wrong, illegitimate or politically unjustifiable, then you are taking a risk," he said.

Greenstock said that, although he thought the war was legal, it was impossible to establish in law whether this was the case "finally and conclusively". And he revealed that he had threatened to resign in the autumn of 2002 if Britain went to war without the backing of a resolution from the UN security council.

Greenstock told the inquiry that, in considering its report, it should make a distinction between the legality of the conflict and its legitimacy. "To some extent the UN is a democratic environment. It's a forum of equal states, equally signed up by treaty to the UN charter, and each of those states have an opinion," he said.

"I regarded our invasion of Iraq … as legal but of questionable legitimacy in that it did not have the democratically observable backing of the great majority of member states, or even perhaps of the majority of people inside the UK."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/27/iraq-invasion-legitimacy-doubts