Campbell renews call for Attorney-General advice disclosure

Monday, 7 March 2005 12:00 AM

Iraq remains Tony Blair's "nagging tooth" and will do so until he publishes in full the Attorney-General's advice on the legality of the war, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell said this weekend.

Speaking to the Liberal Democrat spring conference, he told delegates: "Foreign affairs will feature as never before because the conduct of foreign affairs under this Government will go right to the very heart of its trust and credibility."

Describing a war conducted on a "false prospectus" and with a "catalogue of ineptitude", he added: "Iraq is the Prime Minister's nagging tooth - temporarily quiet but capable of flaring up at any time."

Sir Menzies called for the legal opinion on the war by Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney-General, to be made public in full.

Addressing suggestions that it was more important to concentrate on rebuilding Iraq and international relations, he added: "Legality always matters. It matters because this country has an enviable reputation for maintaining the rule of law at home and abroad, and indeed for championing the integrity of the United Nations.

"We have an overwhelming duty to examine both the substance and the process of the legal advice upon which we went to war."

Referring to comments by Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy that Mr Blair should "publish and be damned", he said: "I go further: don't publish - and be even more damned."

The public interest would be best served by broad disclosure, and the Government's penitence over Iraq would also become more convincing, he added.

The Government has repeatedly refused to publish the advice in full, saying that law officers' advice to the government of the day should remain private. And, it insists that the summary of the advice given to parliament was accurate.

On Iraq, he said Britain should withdraw its forces before the UN mandate runs out in December 2005, but in the meantime must 'redouble' its efforts to train and equip Iraq forces and 'massively' invest in repairing the country's damaged public services and infrastructure.

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