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Skunk, I simply feel your set of facts is more myth than fact.
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The sources came directly from the UN Oil for Food Programme website and UN relief agencies. But I will allow yours to be the last word on the matter, for fear of running a circular 'off-topic' argument. We can agree to differ on that subject.
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From what I saw on the floor of the House of Lords, Tony Blair was not only investigated "impartially," some of his follows seemed out for blood.
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Well, first and foremost there has been
no official and impartial inquiry by the judiciary.
In any event, the charges being laid by the Athens Bar Association have *never* been addressed in the British Parliament - most of the fuss has centred on whether or not Blair lied about the reasons for going to war - not on the consequences and conduct of the troops nor whether the action was legal.
"The Athens Bar Association accuses the government of breaching almost every international treaty and the entire spectrum of human rights in the 47-page complaint.
"The repeated, blatant violations by the United States and Britain of the stipulations of the four 1949 Geneva conventions, the 1954 convention of the Hague as well as the charter of the international criminal court, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity," the lawyers said in a statement.
"[The accused] intended to cause severe psychological distress or major physical or psychological damage to individuals who enjoy the protection of the Geneva conventions."...
...The association, which has 20,000 members, said the campaign against Iraq was highlighted by attacks on a non-combative population, non-military targets and defenceless towns, villages, settlements and buildings.
The natural environment was also destroyed by air assaults that were disproportionate to the desired military objective, it argued.
The Guardian
"The lawyers, from the Athens Bar Council, say they have compiled a dossier of "strong evidence" against the officials, including more than 20 alleged war crimes.
They include the killing of Iraqi civilians, depriving the population of drinking water in cities such as Basra, the destruction of food supplies and the bombardment of residential areas."
BBC
If Blair really believes that he has no case to answer for, he should be asking for a copy of the charges in order to hand them over to an independent judicial inquiry - so that he can clear his name. The fact that he doesn't is mystifying...
[ 07-30-2003, 11:17 AM: Message edited by: Skunk ]