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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Dutch report: Iraq war not legal | Dutch report: Iraq war not legal |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| An inquiry into the Netherlands' support for the invasion of Iraq says it was not justified by UN resolutions. | An inquiry into the Netherlands' support for the invasion of Iraq says it was not justified by UN resolutions. |
| The Dutch Committee of Inquiry on Iraq said UN Security Council resolutions did not "constitute a mandate for... intervention in 2003". | The Dutch Committee of Inquiry on Iraq said UN 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 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 had no military role. | |
| The report demolishes the Dutch case for supporting the invasion, says the BBC's Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond. | The report demolishes the Dutch case for supporting the invasion, says the BBC's Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond. |
| It could also be taken to reinforce the international case against the Iraq war, he says. | It could also be taken to reinforce the international case against the Iraq war, he says. |
| The report accuses ministers of a selective use of intelligence reports, and says Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende "gave little or no leadership to debates over the Iraq question", which was steered by the foreign minister at the time, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. | |
| Mr Balkenende formally thanked the committee for its report, but said he needed time to study it before responding. | Mr Balkenende formally thanked the committee for its report, but said he needed time to study it before responding. |
| Political loyalty | Political loyalty |
| Mr Balkenende decided to join the "coalition of the willing" assembled by US President George W Bush because, he said, Saddam Hussein had consistently flouted UN resolutions and possessed weapons of mass destruction. | Mr Balkenende decided to join the "coalition of the willing" assembled by US President George W Bush because, he said, Saddam Hussein had consistently flouted UN resolutions and possessed weapons of mass destruction. |
| The Dutch parliament opposed the decision to back the invasion. | The Dutch parliament opposed the decision to back the invasion. |
| Committee chairman, Willibrord Davids, said the Netherlands' loyalty to its alliance with the US and UK had taken precedence over the need to ensure the legality of the invasion. | Committee chairman, Willibrord Davids, said the Netherlands' loyalty to its alliance with the US and UK had taken precedence over the need to ensure the legality of the invasion. |
| The committee said there had been no UN mandate for the attack, putting the decision to join at odds with international law. | The committee said there had been no UN mandate for the attack, putting the decision to join at odds with international law. |
| It said "the wording of [UN Security Council] Resolution 1441 cannot reasonably be interpreted as authorising individual member states to use military force". | It said "the wording of [UN Security Council] Resolution 1441 cannot reasonably be interpreted as authorising individual member states to use military force". |
| Iraq's breach of Resolution 1441, which gave Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations", was used by the coalition, and the Netherlands, to justify its invasion. | Iraq's breach of Resolution 1441, which gave Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations", was used by the coalition, and the Netherlands, to justify its invasion. |
| However, a memo from the time by Dutch foreign ministry lawyers, subsequently leaked, suggested the war was in fact illegal under international law. | However, a memo from the time by Dutch foreign ministry lawyers, subsequently leaked, suggested the war was in fact illegal under international law. |
| The inquiry said there was no evidence to support rumours that the Dutch military took part in the invasion. | |
| While the government has always said its military was not involved, questions had been raised because Dutch troops were taking part in exercises nearby at the time. | |
| Dutch forces became part of the stabilisation force that was deployed to Iraq in the years after the war. | |
| The Dutch parliament is likely now to consider whether the prime minister misled parliament, and whether to launch a formal parliamentary inquiry. | The Dutch parliament is likely now to consider whether the prime minister misled parliament, and whether to launch a formal parliamentary inquiry. |