Author: ericlee

Ann Clwyd gives detailed and passionate evidence to the Iraq Inquiry based on her long connections with Iraqis and frequent visits to that country over very many years.

With parliamentary elections approaching, Iraqi women are looking for ways to ensure that their voices and concerns are not excluded from the political debate. For the past several years, the ability of Iraqi women to contribute to policy debates has been constrained by security concerns, political instability and corruption. Though Iraqi women are slowly increasing their involvement in government, political parties and civil society organizations, they are still largely absent from decision-making positions within those bodies. The National Democratic Institute has published this useful report.

The Observer carries this comment by President Talabani in which he says that Iraqis have a great regard for and affection towards the British and we are seeking deep, broad and long-term relationships with your politicians, academics, sporting groups and businesses. We are proud to be your friends Iraq’s president shares his thoughts about the old regime and his hopes for the future The Iraqi people now have the right to build their own freedom and are deeply grateful to British prime ministers Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, for their assistance. At the time, I and other … Continue reading Iraqi President writes in the Observer

LFIQ Director Gary Kent has commented on the Inquiry session with Tony Blair at Progress Too many people have forgotten just how vile and vicious was the regime of Saddam Hussein. A million or more people died as a result of his policies. Saddam personally executed some of his opponents. It was the Republic of Fear. In these circumstances it is probable that even senior figures in the regime would have thought it unwise to tell Saddam that there were no longer any weapons of mass destruction, which he most definitely had had and had used. If the intelligence were … Continue reading Comment on the Inquiry

Ranj Alaaldin warns that banning more than 500 Sunni candidates will severely test the legitimacy of the elections.

See here for the text of an Adjournment Debate on 12 January on government policy towards Kurdistan in which LFIQ supporter Meg Munn MP referred to the recent APPG visit to the Region. She said that The year 2003 brought liberation for the people of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, who made up the only Iraqi force that fought alongside British and American forces. However, I believe that the UK has overlooked Kurdistan, the most secure and successful region of Iraq, undermining the whole country’s renewal and hindering British commercial and political objectives. Politicians and businesspeople whom I met were … Continue reading Debate on Kurdistan in Parliament

I have made this brief comment at Progress Online Gary Kent Director Most people have settled views on the military intervention and won’t budge. We should be clear about what happened and learn lessons – I am particularly concerned about the evident failure of post-war planning. Hubris and short-sightedness as well as a major underestimation of the physical and psychological impact of decades of a fascistic dictatorship caused great damage and bloodshed in which too many Iraqis and allied soldiers needlessly died. We could focus on that and other issues to the exclusion of everything else but we would also … Continue reading A brief comment on the Inquiry

Colin Bower (Letters, 23 December) makes an important point about Iraqi support for the removal of Saddam. This is certainly the case in Kurdistan where WMD were used as part of a genocidal campaign in the late 80s. But it is also clear that the terrible failure of postwar reconstruction alienated many Iraqis and needlessly fuelled the insurgency against the federal, democratic and pluralist settlement which, we hope, will be consolidated in the parliamentary elections in March. Opinions here remain deeply polarised on the merits of the intervention. But we urge those who express solidarity with the people of Iraq … Continue reading Appeal in Guardian for engagement with Iraq

Ranj Alaaldin examines Iranian interference in Iraq and the allegations in the Guardian about its role in the kidnapping of Peter Moore and his sadly murdered guards.

Ranj Alaaldin examines the Iranian incursion into Iraq.