Question: "Was the war illegal?" - Hans Blix: "Yes it was. It was clearly illegal."

[sabra]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1255285,00.html

<snip>

BOTTING: Was the war illegal?

BLIX: Yes it was. It was clearly illegal. Condoleezza Rice tried some acrobatic number, saying that they were actually upholding the authority of the Security Council. Upholding the authority of the Council when they knew that the majority of the Council were against it? As a lawyer I certainly don't buy that argument.

BOTTING: Could the war have been stopped through diplomacy?

BLIX: I think if they'd allowed us to carry on the inspections a couple of months more (which was the European position) then we would have been able to go to all the sites suspected of by intelligence - British, American or other. And since there weren't any weapons we'd have come with that answer: there are no weapons at all the sites that you have given us.

And I think then the intelligence would themselves have said 'our sources are evidently poor'. They had other sources - they had the defectors, satellite. But they had defectors above all. And the defectors didn't want inspection. They wanted invasion.

[ixion]

1. it's not a war... it's an illegal invasion

and a very clear violation of international law.


"Every State has the duty to refrain from the threat or use of force to violate the existing international boundaries of another State or as a means of solving international disputes, including territorial disputes and problems concerning frontiers of States."
-- World Court Digest

[Poiuyt]

2. Unfortunately, this interview will never be seen or heard in America

[Donald Ian Rankin]

3. Yes, but so was Kosovo, one of the few recent wars I think was worthwhile.

The invasion of Iraq was undoubtedly *both* illegal and wrong, but I worry that there is an unspoked assumption that the former automatically implies the latter.

[The Doctor.]

4. I did not know that the UN was against our involvement in Kosovo.

I learned something new today.

Aside from the flimsy BS argument used to justify the Iraq invasion, it is quite apparent that the administration knew they did not have the authority because they petitioned the UN FOR authorization on March 7th 2003... 10 days before they invaded.

If they already had the authority as they have argued, then why did they have to ask for it?

[omega minimo]

5. ,