Egypt raises fuel prices, imposes one-year freeze amid cost pressures    Egypt courts Indian green energy investment in talks with Ocior Energy    Egypt, India hold first strategic dialogue to deepen ties    Egypt: Guardian of Heritage, Waiting for the World's Conscience    Egypt, Qatar sign MoU to boost cooperation in healthcare, food safety    EGX ends week mostly higher on Oct. 16    Egyptian Amateur Open golf tournament relaunches after 15-year hiatus    Egypt, UK, Palestine explore financing options for Gaza reconstruction ahead of Cairo conference    Egypt will never relinquish historical Nile water rights, PM says    Egypt explores cooperation with Chinese firms to advance robotic surgery    Fragile Gaza ceasefire tested as humanitarian crisis deepens    CBE, China's National Financial Regulatory sign MoU to strengthen joint cooperation    AUC makes history as 1st global host of IMMAA 2025    Avrio Gold to launch new jewellery, bullion factory in early 2026    Al Ismaelia launches award-winning 'TamaraHaus' in Downtown Cairo revival    Al-Sisi, Burhan discuss efforts to end Sudan war, address Nile Dam dispute in Cairo talks    Egypt's Cabinet hails Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit as turning point for Middle East peace    Gaza's fragile ceasefire tested as aid, reconstruction struggle to gain ground    Egypt's human rights committee reviews national strategy, UNHRC membership bid    Al-Sisi, world leaders meet in Sharm El-Sheikh to coordinate Gaza ceasefire implementation    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation    Egypt unearths one of largest New Kingdom Fortresses in North Sinai    Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai    Egypt Writes Calm Anew: How Cairo Engineered the Ceasefire in Gaza    Egypt's acting environment minister heads to Abu Dhabi for IUCN Global Nature Summit    Egyptian Open Amateur Golf Championship 2025 to see record participation    Cairo's Al-Fustat Hills Park nears completion as Middle East's largest green hub – PM    El-Sisi boosts teachers' pay, pushes for AI, digital learning overhaul in Egypt's schools    Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote    Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island    Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games    Egypt reviews Nile water inflows as minister warns of impact of encroachments on Rosetta Branch    Egypt aims to reclaim global golf standing with new major tournaments: Omar Hisham    Egypt to host men's, juniors' and ladies' open golf championships in October    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Whiter than white
Published in Al-Ahram Weekly on 04 - 02 - 2010

The much awaited appearance of Tony Blair at the Iraq Inquiry went surprisingly smoothly. Mohamed Al-Zahed followed the show
Former British prime minister Tony Blair appeared to stick to his guns and was unwilling to express remorse or regret for what has happened in Iraq, indicative of the delusion which has engulfed Blair since the ill- fated war in Iraq.
He told the inquiry quite confidently, "We didn't end up with a humanitarian disaster," a statement which is light years from the reality in Iraq, where civilian infrastructure was destroyed, medical services have collapsed, and thousands of innocent souls perished as a result of the "shock and awe" tactics of the US. Millions are refugees, who have had to abandon everything and flee to new lands, struggling to build a new life. Blair was adamant that he would attack Iraq all over again if he had the opportunity, and went on to argue the case for military action against Iran, presenting the same arguments he used to build a case for war against the Saddam regime.
The inquiry panel, chaired by former civil servant Sir John Chilcot, was passive throughout his testimony, giving Blair an easy ride. The panel's long-winded, tame and largely unchallenging questions were deflected by Blair, reminiscent of his frequent slick performances in the House of Commons. No one expected the Inquiry to tighten the noose around Blair' neck, given its cowardly performance so far, but the least that was expected was for the Inquiry to put "Bliar" in the dock for his glaring contradictions and misinformation about Saddam Hussein possessing nuclear weapons and Iraq being a safe haven for terrorist operatives. Blair continued to hint at a possible link between Saddam and Al-Qaeda, insisting that "suppressed and failing states" such as Iraq naturally create an environment for terrorists to gather and organise themselves.
Neutral observers were crying out for someone to take Blair to task for his series of contradictions, but this did not, not surprisingly, happen, given the close proximity of the panellists to the Labour government. For example, Sir Lawrence Freedman, a professor from the War Department at King's College, London, is infamous for contributing significant portions of Blair's speech in Chicago in 1999, coinciding with the West's military intervention in Kosovo and singling out Saddam and Slobodan Milosevic as contributing to regional and global instability. He was and is an advocate of military intervention, with or without the United Nations mandate, and should have been excluded from the panel from the start.
Blair's appearance and that of earlier witnesses further reinforces the view that he and his close aides manipulated information and intelligence to suit the political ambitions of the Bush administration to invade Iraq. This has led to growing calls for Blair to be summoned back to the Inquiry to be questioned on the contradictions and misinformation which have become apparent, with the former international development secretary Claire Short accusing Blair of personally "misleading" and "conning" her, and of being "deceitful" with the cabinet, parliament and public.
It is expected, that Blair, as a result, will give further testimony in a private session in the next few weeks to allow him to clarify classified documents such as his private notes to Bush before the war. It is also understood that the Inquiry will meet soon to discuss which witnesses they wish to recall, as well as any new ones, in the next round of questioning.
Will the new round of questioning lead to anything new? Tougher questioning from the panel? This is unlikely, raising fundamental questions over the purpose of the Inquiry. It is clear that it was called to whitewash the image of the Labour Party leading up to elections in the summer. It was never intended to bring those responsible for the disastrous foreign policy adventure to justice and to lay to rest the ghosts of the Iraq war.
see p.


Clic here to read the story from its source.