Former UK attorney general initially said second resolution required on Iraq invasion
By APWednesday, January 27, 2010
Former attorney general testifies in Iraq inquiry
LONDON — Former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s top legal adviser believed at first that it would be illegal for Britain to join in the invasion of Iraq but ultimately changed his mind, he told the inquiry probing the conflict Wednesday.
Peter Goldsmith, who was attorney-general and the government’s chief legal adviser from 2001 until 2007, told the inquiry that he first thought a second United Nations Security Council resolution was necessary to ensure any invasion’s legality.
“The balance came down in favor of saying, ‘No, a second resolution is needed,’” Goldsmith said. “I then ultimately reached, when I had to reach a definitive view on this, a different view.”
The inquiry, led by former civil servant John Chilcot, is investigating the decisions and mistakes regarding the war, which was deeply unpopular in Britain. It left 179 British soldiers dead, triggered massive public protests, and shadowed the final years of Blair’s premiership.
Blair is scheduled to testify Friday. The five-person panel is expected to report late next year, but will not to apportion blame or hold anyone liable for the conflict.
In early 2003, Goldsmith gave Blair a draft opinion that questioned the legality of using force. Then in February — after a visit to Washington, where he met with U.S. lawyers — he met with the prime minister’s advisers in Downing Street, the prime minister’s official residence.
“My advice remained preliminary until February because I was still conducting my inquiries and (research),” Goldsmith told the inquiry. “On the 27th of February, I met in Downing Street with the P.M.’s advisers and told them then … that there was a reasonable case that a second resolution was not necessary. And that was on past precedent sufficient to constitute a green light.”
Critics have suggested Goldsmith changed his advice under political pressure. His testimony follows that of other government lawyers, who told the inquiry that every legal officer in Britain’s Foreign Office believed the invasion was against international law.
