Peace Campaigners today welcomed the Butler Report as a ‘step in the right direction.’ They cautioned, however that until the role of the Prime Minister was evaluated fully and there was real political accountability for the decision to go to war then the British people were being sold short.
Chair of CND Kate Hudson called it a ‘step closer to the truth’,
“The Butler report is a step in the right direction. It has highlighted serious flaws in the intelligence which was used to justify the attack on Iraq, particularly the 45 minute claim and it has shown that the lines between politics and intelligence were seriously blurred. The Dossier that was presented to the public was over stated and didn’t reflect the doubts of intelligence experts.
Butler’s report is a step closer to the truth. However it is crucial that we must not ignore the fact that it was a political decision to go to war. To make sure that a war justified by half truths and inference never happen again we must make sure the Prime Minister is held responsible for the political decision to go to war. The important next step must be a full public enquiry.
Iraq did not represent an immediate threat to British interests and the war waged against the country and the subsequent bloody occupation were illegal and immoral. The many thousands of families who have lost loved ones due to this war deserve the truth. ”
Jeremy Corbyn MP
“According to Butler nobody seems to be responsible for anything. The reality is the PM and Bush took us to war and as a result 15 thousand people have died and the UN has been discredited and sidelined”
-end-
Notes to Editor:
1. For further information and interviews please contact Ruth Tanner CND’s Press & Communications Officer on 0207 7002350 or 07968 420859