Patten questions whether 'unvarnished truth' presented before Iraq war

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031127/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_eu_patten_india&cid=1514&ncid=1480

MADRAS, India (AFP) - EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten questioned whether the international community was presented with the "unvarnished truth" before the US-led invasion of Iraq.

"It is difficult to look back on the justification for the intervention and argue that we were presented with unvarnished truth," Patten said in response to a question after a speech in Madras in southern India.

"We all have to face up to the consequences now. It is in our interest that we construct in Iraq an open and prosperous society," he said.

"Iraq is a magnate for terrorist groups and we will suffer substantially if that country remains a center of instability in the region," he said.

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[leesa]

1. The international community was presented with the truth as long as

it did not come from US sources. There can be no doubt that the Bush Crime Family and the US media were lying their asses off. It's been proven and documented over and over again.

[wryter2000]

2. Magnate?

What's wrong with magnet?

[HereSince1628]

3. Freudian slip???

Mayhaps he's not yet free of the Saddam-terror connection.

[xchrom]

4. while i agree that the world was not

presented with the unvarnished truth -- i notice he takes that slightly arrogant western point of view -- ''we construct in iraq an open and prosperous society'' -- i'm relatively certain the iraqi people would like to build there society on their own. self determination and all that.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

5. He's a former British Tory Minister. They don't come in any other

flavour than arrogant, though Patten is one of the better ones.

[Aidoneus]

6. agreed

that would've been my response--they have just as little right in dictating how things turn out in Iraq as Team W and their lackeys & mercenaries. He nonetheless endorses the ridiculous view that resistance to the criminal occupation of Iraq by America and it's lackeys/mercenaries is "terrorism", no matter what softballs he throws at the propaganda offensive that led to the aggression and occupation.