Whitehall united in doubt on war

[greatauntoftriplets]

Gun was ready to expose full extent of concern throughout government departments

Richard Norton-Taylor
Friday February 27, 2004
The Guardian

The attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, agreed that secrets charges against the former GCHQ employee Katharine Gun should be dropped after the defence made clear that potentially hugely damaging evidence about the legality of invading Iraq would be disclosed in court, the Guardian has learned.

Serious doubts about the legality of the invasion were expressed in the run-up to war by senior lawyers throughout Whitehall, including the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence.

The doubts were expressed by the entire FO legal establishment, and not only Elizabeth Wilmshurst, the former deputy head of the FO's legal team who has said publicly that she resigned last year because she was unhappy with Lord Goldsmith's legal advice.

The FO argued, partly on the basis of intelligence, that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein did not warrant a pre-emptive strike. It also questioned Lord Goldsmith's interpretation of international law and the standing of past UN security council resolutions.

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1157538,00.html

[mhr]

1. One Can Only Hope To See Blair And Bush Tried For War Crimes At The Hague

eom

[Briar]

3. Some hope

If you want a really sickening read, go to what New Labour's tame MPs and supporters are saying. They aren't upset that the UK government has been behaving like a Mafia gangster. They're upset that Clare Short has had the temerity to expose it. "Burn the witch for embarrassing the best PM ever!" just about sums up the views of delegates to the Scottish Labour Party Conference. As for thuggish lickspittles like Jack Cunningham and Helen Liddell - they make the Tories look rational and fair minded! No, no hope of the war monger Bliar being ousted, I'm afraid. But Clare Short could wind up in Guantanamo Bay...

[emad]

2. UK Foreign Office adviser 'resigned from the war': BBC

From BBC News:

Adviser said she did not believe the use of force on Iraq was lawful
A former Foreign Office adviser has come forward to admit she quit her job because she did not agree with the legality of the war on Iraq.Elizabeth Wilmhurst made a statement disclosing her name in the wake of recent press inquiries. She said she had not wanted to continue as deputy legal adviser at the Foreign Office because she "did not agree the use of force against Iraq was lawful".
She now works at the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

In a statement, she said: "I left my job as a deputy legal adviser in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office because I did not agree that the use of force against Iraq was lawful, and in all the circumstances, I did not want to continue as a legal adviser." Ms Wilmhurst, who resigned last March after 29 years at the Foreign Office, made herself known after reports appeared in the British press. She is now head of the international law programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House).

The programme was launched in February 2004 to provide a forum for lawyers and policy-makers to discuss international legal issues and their practical application to current problems in international relations. Ms Wilmhurst is also a visiting professor at University College, London.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3492910.stm

[Barrett808]

4. Wow. A huge admission.

I hope BBC pursues this story vigorously.