Iraq inquiry is a must

Published on Thursday 18 December 2008 21:11

Now that Gordon Brown has announced the date for the withdrawal of troops (your report, 17 December), it is now time to get a full judicial enquiry underway post-haste. No more prevarications by new Labour apologists and propagandists. The enquiry must be wide in its scope, be able to consider all the issues (including the legality of the original invasion) and most importantly it must have the power to compel witnesses to whom the laws of perjury must apply.

The most noteworthy testimony however must come from Sir Richard Dearlove. He has confirmed to the American author Ron Suskind that UK intelligence agent Michael Schipster had a secret meeting just before the start of the Iraq war in Amman Jordan with Saddam Hussein's security chief Tahir Jalil Habbush (The Way of the World, Simon and Schuster). In this meeting, Sir Richard confirmed to Mr Suskind that Habbush stated that Iraq had no WMDs and that this intelligence was passed to "everyone at the top", meaning the prime minister.

It is clear that there are many issues still to be resolved around the Iraq war. We owe it to those who have died to clear up the facts surrounding the Iraq invasion and hold those culpable to account.

ALAN HINNRICHS

Noran Avenue

Dundee

Following the Prime Minister's announcement that UK forces will be withdrawing from Iraq by the end of July next year, this provides the ideal opportunity for him to set out a timetable for a full inquiry into the Iraq war (your report, 18 December).

Six years ago Labour dragged us into an illegal war on the basis of false information, and now that there is a timetable for withdrawing our forces,

it is vital that there is now a fully independent public inquiry in this debacle, which must include the true financial cost of such a catastrophic war and its aftermath.

ALEX ORR

Bryson Road

Edinburgh