Dundee Liberal Democrats support Sir Menzies' position on the situation in Iraq

2.08.00pm GMT Sun 12th Nov 2006

Michael Charlton supports Sir Menzies' position on the situation in Iraq

Dundee Liberal Democrats have today (Sunday 12th November) backed the comments of Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat Leader, on the situation in Iraq. Locally, LibDem party secretary Michael Charlton said, "The government's position on the dreadful situation in Iraq is simply unsustainable."

Sir Menzies said, "Of all the problems that face our country today, the situation in Iraq is the most tragic; not only because of the scale of the catastrophe in that country - food shortages, electricity and oil supplies still below their pre-war levels, and the rise of sectarian violence with 3000 deaths per month - but because this terrible situation could and should have been avoided.

"Liberal Democrats opposed the 2003 invasion on principle. It was an illegal war, fought without a proper plan for postwar reconstruction. We also now know that it was launched on a flawed prospectus. Weapons of Mass Destruction - ready to fire within forty minutes of a command - simply did not exist.

"Last month Liberal Democrats joined with others to vote in the House of Commons for a motion that would have initiated an investigation into the war in Iraq and its aftermath. Unfortunately the government narrowly defeated that motion.

"Three and a half years after the occupation, Iraq is on the verge of civil war, and its population is united only in its hostility to the presence of coalition troops (a Ministry of Defence survey found that eight out of ten strongly opposed their presence). Last month, Sir Richard Dannatt, our most senior solider said that the presence of British soldiers is making the security situation worse. The difficulties that they are experiencing, and Sir Richard's comments, are a reminder that in addition to our responsibilities to the Iraqi people, we have an obligation to our armed forces to provide them with a clear strategy and a credible mission.

"Our government should heed those words and change its strategy now. I have made this point to Tony Blair in the House of Commons. He has refused to change his position. America is openly debating its strategy, and our Prime Minister is awaiting decisions from Washington. Britain's foreign policy is once again reliant on America's, just as it was in Lebanon.

"There is another way. We need a phased withdrawal from Iraq - and sooner rather than later. That means taking a number of steps in the immediate future: establishing a UN-led effort to disarm, reintegrating and rebuilding the state, with support from the World bank and international donors; creating a regional contact group to engage Iraq's neighbours in defusing sectarianism and helping to reconstruct the country; speeding up the training of Iraq's security forces and depoliticising them; an end to the indefinite detentions by Iraqi and US forces that enrage the population; and full access granted to UN human rights monitors and the Red Cross.

"These are the conditions that will allow a phased security transfer and withdrawal of coalition troops in months rather than years - and may be the only hope for securing a peaceful future in Iraq."

Related Link:

Campbell attacks Blair over Iraq -Guardian.