Tony Blair, your reaction to his evidence
| 14:32 UK time, Friday, 21 January 2011
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This topic was discussed on World Have Your Say on 20th January 2011. Listen to the programme.
A year ago he was hauled before the Chilcot inquiry in London to answer questions about decisions made in the run up to the war in Iraq in 2003. Today former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been there again to fill in some âgaps in his evidenceâ
So far today that Tony Blair privately assured US President George Bush âyou can count on usâ in the run-up to the Iraq war. And that he disregarded a warning from his legal adviser Lord Goldsmith that attacking Iraq would be illegal without further UN backing because it was âprovisionalâ. Itâs also been revealed that a year before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Tony Blair told his chief of staff the West should be âgung-hoâ on toppling Saddam Hussein.
And finally he concluded his evidence by saying he âdeeply and profoundly regretsâ the loss of life in Iraq. His words were met with cries of âtoo lateâ from the public gallery.
The Guardianâs Gary Younge tweets:
âBlair says he has no regrets sending troops to Iraq but does regret loss of life there. What did he think the troops were going to do?â
Here are the to come out of todayâs evidence.
So after four hours of cross examination, do you feel Tony Blair has now answered his critics? What more would you have wanted to hear? And if the inquiry decides Tony Blair is to blame for some of the mistakes made - what then?
