Blair could prevent war on Iraq: Annan

29 September 2012 | 19:59 Code : 1907385 Latest Headlines

The ex-UN chief has highlighted the role of former British Premier Blair in the US-led invasion of Iraq, describing him as the only person who could prevent the war by turning ex-US President Bush against the assault in 2003.

Kofi Annan told the Times newspaper in a Saturday interview that due to the special relationship between the two Western countries and the two leaders, Blair was capable of changing Bush’s mind.

He further stated that he had often wondered what might have happened if “Blair had said ‘George, this is where we part company. You're on your own’,” following the failure to secure a second UN resolution, adding, “I really think it could have stopped the war.”

In 2003, the US and Britain invaded Iraq in blatant violation of international law and under the pretext of finding weapons of mass destruction (WMD)s allegedly stockpiled by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. However, no WMDs were ever discovered in Iraq.

In September 2012, South African Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu called for the trial of Bush and Blair at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, saying that “The immorality of the United States and Great Britain's decision to invade Iraq in 2003, premised on the lie that Iraq possessed WMDs, has destabilized and polarized the world to a greater extent than any other conflict in history.”

Tutu added that, instead of recognizing the sophistications and issues of the world, “the then-leaders of the US and UK fabricated the grounds to behave like playground bullies and drive us further apart.”

According to the California-based investigative organization Project Censored, more than one million Iraqis have been killed in the US invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq since 2003.