Diplomat: UK, US knew of coming chaos in Iraq
...Many people were skeptical over the Butler inquiry a few years ago which supposedly cleared Tony Blair of "sexing up" the dossier for war. However, one piece of evidence had remained supressed--until today--under Britain's Official Secrets Act, namely the testimony of Carne Ross, their key UN negotiator at the time. And all he has to say is a) everyone knew there were no WMDs, and b) the British explicitly warned the US that the invasion would lead to chaos...
Mr Ross revealed it was a commonly held view among British officials dealing with Iraq that any threat by Saddam Hussein had been "effectively contained".
He also reveals that British officials warned US diplomats that bringing down the Iraqi dictator would lead to the chaos the world has since witnessed. "I remember on several occasions the UK team stating this view [that Saddam was contained] in terms during our discussions with the US (who agreed)," he said.
"At the same time, we would frequently argue when the US raised the subject, that 'regime change' was inadvisable, primarily on the grounds that Iraq would collapse into chaos."
The Independent has published the transcript of his testimony...
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