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Investigation publishes their report on Dutch participation in Iraq War alongside Bush
Content and conclusions to follow asap.
1. U.N. resolution not sufficient for Iraq invasion
- Dutch military support in pre-war planning
- FM Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (JdHS) gave early support to President Bush
- Dutch parliament not fully informed by cabinet ministers
- Dutch military intelligence had a more profound view of WMDs in Iraq
- Dutch military not involved in invasion, limited to political support
- US official request to particpate in pre-war planning kept secret by JdHS
- Political decision has no link to appointment JdHS as SG NATO
Most important conclusion: Iraq invasion violates International Law.
Affirms the conclusion of Hans Blix in his report on August 7, 2003 –
Iraq invasion violated international law
PRESS RELEASE
The Hague, 12 January 2010
Summary of conclusions of the Committee of Inquiry on Iraq
49 Conclusions of commission report (English)
Basilica Santa Maria della Salute / Venice, Italy
Press conference on March 22, 2003 with U.S. coalition partners.
To the far right Dutch Lt-Col Jan Blom to everyone's surprise. (Reuters)
A leaked document to NRC Handelsblad shows an internal Legal advice to Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, dated 29 April 2003, with arguments there is no legality for Iraq invasion.
(RNW) – Did Dutch PM Jan Peter Balkenende misinform parliament about the Iraq war? That is the unspoken question hovering over the Davids Committee inquiry whose report was published on Tuesday. The independent committee was asked by the PM to investigate the political process which resulted in the Netherlands’ joining George W. Bush’s “coalition of the willing”.
Dutch politics at the time was self-centred and showed little awareness of the outside world, committee chairman Willibrord Davids said when he presented his report. Hardly any thought was given to what should happen once the invasion had taken place and Saddam Hussein’s regime had been toppled.
The Netherlands lent explicit “political support” to the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003, while rejecting any form of military involvement. Mr Balkenende, who was caretaker prime minister at the time, argued that Saddam Hussein had consistently flouted UN resolutions and possessed weapons of mass destruction. The prime minister later said he had based his decision to join the war on a letter by his British counterpart Tony Blair, “for his eyes only”. Mr Blair’s letter apparently convinced Mr Balkenende that Saddam Hussein was able to hit Europe with weapons of mass destruction at short notice.
The Davids committee was not allowed to publish the contents of the letter in its report.
(BBC News) – A Dutch inquiry into the Iraq war says that military action was not justified by UN resolutions on Iraq. The Committee of Inquiry on Iraq said security council resolutions did not “constitute a mandate for… intervention in 2003”.
The inquiry was launched after foreign ministry memos were leaked that cast doubt on the legal basis for the war.
The Netherlands gave political support to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but has denied having any military role.
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9/11 Changed Political Landscape and Led to Upheaval
In September 2001, the CDA political leadership changed hands from an experienced politician Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to a young and inexperienced assistent Jan Peter Balkenende. The party was sagging to a small minority in the polls, Balkenende had been a professor in Amsterdam and had research leadership of the CDA party. In this period came the attacks on America of 9/11. The political atmosphere changed for the worse with a novice in The Haque running for some seats in Dutch parliament: Pim Fortuyn. His party made great headway in local elections in Rotterdam by gaining a majority vote of 37%. The political assassination on May 6, 2002 of Pim Fortuyn shook the nation on its foundation. The ruling Labor party in the purple coalition could not provide the answers. The voters returned in great numbers to the old party CDA and swept Balkenende in a leadership position to form a new coalition government.
Having become the 2nd largest party, Pim Fortuyn’s inexperienced members chosen to parliament were invited to join and deliver new ministers. This was a recept for many political headaches and gave Balkenende more than he could handle. It’s logical that Balkenende left the Foreign Affairs to his old party leader Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. JdHS was known to be more to the party right, had made a poor showing in Screbenica days after the massacre to be seen partying with the Royal Prince Alexander in Bosnia with the Dutch troops. I’m absolutely very disappointed in the policy leadership in regards to Iraq, the involvement of the Dutch government with George Bush and the likes. Furthermore, he did a terrible job as Secretary-General of NATO and the War in Afghanistan.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."Thanks for that historical background, Oui! Having lived in the Netherlands, I was very disappointed that the Dutch government decided to support the war criminals Bush and Blair.
It’s nice to find that Holland at least can still assemble a high-profile panel of jurists who are able to make a decision based on law, independently of politics. That is quite impossible today in the US, of course.
Unsurprisingly, based on a Google search, American newspapers, without a single exception, are ignoring this. The AP has a five paragraph story on the report, but buries the report’s “conclusion that the invasion had no legal basis” in the third paragraph. Only the Guardian has dared call the war “illegal” in the headline.
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Minister President Balkenende and Vice-premier Bos (PvdA) have been meeting most of the day to make amends and come with a single opinion on the conclusions of the Davids Iraq Commission Report. Balkenende has accepted the most important issue: the U.N. mandate was insufficient to take military action against the regime of Saddam Hussain. The International Law has been laid down by the Commission with legal heavyweights. This is a 180 degree turn-around to his response yesterday afternoon in a press conference. His apparent attack of major conclusions of the Report angered the members of parliament of the Labor Party. The coalition remains united and will look forward to the coming debate in Parliament with Balkenende and Cabinet members. A crisis has been
avoidedpostponed.Iraq war was illegal, Dutch panel rules
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The Dutch military became involved after the United Nations agreed to be part of the relief effort and reconstruction in Iraq. Prior military participation by Special Forces for reconnaissance, the Navy including a submarine, would have been the end of the ruling coalition with PM Balkenende. This is not the case, although there will be plenty of firework from opposition parties like D’66 and and GreenLeft with Femke Halsema. The Liberal Party VVD is in the political spectrum to the right and always debated in support of a military effort in Iraq.
Main theme will be the legality of the war without the second resolution of the U.N. Security Council and a number of decisions made by the Dutch cabinet in reference to the Constitution, article 100. Placing Patriot missiles in Turkey on the Northern border, sending a battleship Van Nes to guard U.S. commercial vessels on its journey in the Iraq War build-up and the participation of a Walrus submarine. Participation of NATO based on its article 5 commitment.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."A bit of truth finally surfaces from officialdom somewhere in the world. Of course us mere mortals knew earlier but we dont count.
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Professor Philippe Sands is a leading international lawyer. In an interview he spoke with respect over the distinguished legal panel of the Dutch Iraq Commission. The Iraq War has no legal base was a important statement and conclusion witl all clarity and lack of ambiquity. This must have an impact across the channel in the Chilcot Inquiry, which has no member as legal expert. The Dutch panel had several members of the legal profession. Philippe Sands was heard behind closed doors by the Commission in The Netherlands last September 2009.
Blair is due to give evidence to the inquiry into the war, led by former civil servant John Chilcot, early next year, and the commentator in the Sunday Telegraph said the investigation’s focus must now change.
“Mr Blair’s game-changing admission gives them a licence to be tougher and more prosecutorial,” he wrote, a call echoed by campaigners at Stop the War Coalition, who urged Chilcot’s inquiry to recommend legal action against Blair.
Professor Philippe Sands, a leading international lawyer, said he believed Blair’s comments had left him open to legal action.
“The fact that the policy was fixed by Tony Blair irrespective of the facts on the ground, and irrespective of the legality, will now expose him more rather than less to legal difficulties,” Sands told The Sunday Herald.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence.".
People walk past a wanted poster created by artist Naleye Buddista of Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Amsterdam January 16, 2010. The Dutch government supported an invasion of Iraq that had no legal backing and did not fully inform parliament about its plans in the run-up to the conflict, a long-awaited investigation concluded on Tuesday. Scheffer was the current Foreign Minister at the time of the 2003 US-British military invasion of Iraq.
Wanted poster created by artist Naleye Buddista. Toussaint Kluiters/United Photos"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."