Britain can attack Iraq without a UN mandate: Hoon

Agence France-Presse ^ | 3/25/02

[T Ruth]

Monday March 25, 8:46 AM

Britain can attack Iraq without a UN mandate: Hoon

Britain can use force against Iraq without a United Nations mandate if Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is seen as a threat, Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said.

The government reserves the right to order a nuclear attack against Iraq if chemical or biological weapons are targeted at British troops or the public, Hoon said in a television interview, echoing comments he made last week.

His remarks appeared to be at odds with those of Britain's International Development Secretary Clare Short, who on Friday insisted that any military action against Saddam's regime would require a specific UN mandate.

Short, said to have misgivings about the prospect of Prime Minister Tony Blair's support of US strikes against Baghdad, called for a "more sophisticated discussion" about what the options were.

Hoon's tough stance on Iraq was echoed by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who said Saddam had "culpably failed" to comply with his country's international obligations.

The British and US governments had not taken any decisions about military action against Iraq and any move would be within international law, Straw insisted.

But he warned if Baghdad continued to refuse to allow UN weapons inspectors back into the country, then the position in international law may change.

Hoon also appeared to dismiss comments made by Short about whether the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had to be resolved before dealing with Iraq.

"I don't think it is possible to make one set of difficult international circumstances dependent on another," he said.

"I certainly don't believe that we can expect to resolve that long-running, enormously sensitive and difficult subject as a condition (for action on Iraq)."

[Free the USA]

Check the Bump List folders for articles related to and descriptions of the above topic(s) or for other topics of interest.

[cicero's_son]

Wait a second...you mean they don't have to ask the assembly of dictators, tyrants, murderers, and would be Fuhrers for the "moral authority" to wage war?

[america-rules]

Wow, this puts a stake right in to the heart of the pinko commie leftests in the EU !

[Great Dane]

Wait a second...you mean they don't have to ask the assembly of dictators, tyrants, murderers, and would be Fuhrers for the "moral authority" to wage war?

Well, they didn't when they attacked Serbia, and they would probably have gotten permission for that.:-}

[OldFriend]

Perhaps there's hope after all. Just wish Dubya would stop catering to the media whores and assorted commie/libs in congress.

[PhilDragoo]

Hoon's tough stance on Iraq was echoed by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who said Saddam had "culpably failed" to comply with his country's international obligations.

Bravo tough stance. That's more like it.

[Optimist]

Somehow the UN (and millions of confused earthlings) have the misguided belief that the UN actually has some authority over sovereign countries. Who died and made the UN President of the universe?!!!!

[Dog Gone]

I forget, did al-Qaida get permission from the UN before flying planes into our buildings?

[nocommies]

NO S$!T !!!!!!!!!

[jerrymdss]

This is great, now both the US and Britain have put Saddam on notice in advance of the consequences of his choosing anything other than conventional warfare.

And the sqeeze goes on...

[cicero's_son]

A few august members of that bastion of moral authority, the United Nations:

Zimbabwe
Syria
China
Libya
and worst of all...
France

[Husker24]

Its okay to wage war against Whitey, nobody disputes that.

[ZULU]

The Americans and Brits together can kick any ass on earth. We should ignore his sheeted, camel driving allies, spit in the eyes of the Saudi sheiks, and wipe Saddam out - now.

Western intervention in Mesopotomia may also provide the impetus for rational younger elements in Iran to rise up and wipe out their mad mullahs and ayatollahs and intitute a progressive western democracy along the lines of Turkey.

[Great Dane]

Its okay to wage war against Whitey, nobody disputes that.

Oh, silly me........ I forgot.

[Consort]

What the hell is a Hoon?

[piasa]

I forget, did al-Qaida get permission from the UN before flying planes into our buildings?

I can see where al-Qeada might think so, given the UN's glorious screechy hatefest meeting of thugs in Durban not long before.

[Atchafalaya]

Oh please lock and load; and watch the Frogs go positively ballistically bat$h1t. If this happens we may witness for the first time a nation (France) choke to death. I tremble in anticipation.

[Husker24]

U.N permission is not needed when attacking majority white nations......what were you thinking.

[krogers58]

IMHO I think that Britain, and the US, in announcing their "more liberal" use policy of nukes, have recieved credible reports that the madman of Baghdad, may be forward positioning chem/bio weapons, in the event his country is attacked, and his demise is imminent. I suspect that the Iraqi secret services/intelligence agencies are placing agents within the US and possibly Britain with chem/bio weapons to use on the civilian populations of these countries. All I can say, is when, not if, we go after Saddam, you'd best prepare for your families sake.