Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair claimed that an official inquiry into his decision to go to war in Iraq in 2003 released today absolves him of any “lies or deceit”.
The labour party stalwart, 63, who was in charge when the UK joined US forces to invade Iraq in 2003, said he will take “full responsibility” for any mistakes made but stressed that John Chilcot’s ‘Iraq Inquiry’ makes clear there was no “falsification or improper use of intelligence”. “I will take full responsibility for any mistakes without exception or excuse. I will at the same time say why, nonetheless, I believe that it was better to remove Saddam Hussein and why I do not believe this is the cause of the terrorism we see today whether in the Middle East or elsewhere in the world,” Blair said in a statement in response to the report.
“The report should lay to rest allegations of bad faith, lies or deceit. Whether people agree or disagree with my decision to take military action against Saddam Hussein; I took it in good faith and in what I believed to be the best interests of the country,” he added.
The inquiry was chaired by Chilcot and supported by a four-member committee, which included Indian-origin House of lords member Baroness Usha Prashar.