British judge calls US, UK world vigilantes
Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:36:48 GMT
One of Britain's most authoritative judicial figures has declared that the US and the UK have acted like 'world vigilantes' in their war against Iraq.
"It was not plain that Iraq had failed to comply in a manner justifying resort to force and there were no strong factual grounds or hard evidence to show that it had," said Lord Bingham.
The retired senior law lord stated that the military attack on Iraq in 2003 was a serious violation of international law and urged British ministers to respect the international legal system.
"The current ministerial code, binding on British ministers, requires them as an overarching duty to comply with the law, including international law and treaty obligations," The Guardian quoted Bingham as saying.
His remarks come as the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are calling for an independent inquiry into the circumstances surounding the invasion.
The British government has opposed the idea, saying such an inquiry would be harmful while 4,000 British troops are deployed in Iraq.
"Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music"
