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Dutch say no mandate for Iraq war | |
(about 6 hours later) | |
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. | |
The report could bitterly embarrass the Dutch government and reinforce the international case against the Iraq war, says the BBC's Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond. | |
The Davids Commission - named after the retired senior judge who leads it - was established just under a year ago, following a political revolt against Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende. | The Davids Commission - named after the retired senior judge who leads it - was established just under a year ago, following a political revolt against Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende. |
It was Mr Balkenende who, back in 2003, lent political support to the invasion of Iraq. | It was Mr Balkenende who, back in 2003, lent political support to the invasion of Iraq. |
The justification was then made that UN resolutions had been flouted, but a memo from the time by Dutch foreign ministry lawyers, subsequently leaked, suggested that the war was in fact illegal under international law. | The justification was then made that UN resolutions had been flouted, but a memo from the time by Dutch foreign ministry lawyers, subsequently leaked, suggested that the war was in fact illegal under international law. |
The inquiry has looked into the legality of the war, the quality of Dutch intelligence, the government's decision-making process, and whether there was any Dutch military involvement. | |
While the government has always said its military was not involved in the invasion, questions have been raised because Dutch troops were taking part in exercises nearby at the time. |