Protest Letter of 52 British Former Diplomats to Blair on Iraq Policy

[Chicago Democrat]

(snip)

Dear Prime Minister,

We the undersigned former British ambassadors, high commissioners, governors and senior international officials, including some who have long experience of the Middle East and others whose experience is elsewhere, have watched with deepening concern the policies which you have followed on the Arab-Israel problem and Iraq, in close co-operation with the United States. Following the press conference in Washington at which you and President Bush restated these policies, we feel the time has come to make our anxieties public, in the hope that they will be addressed in Parliament and will lead to a fundamental reassessment.

The decision by the USA, the EU, Russia and the UN to launch a "Road Map" for the settlement of the Israel/Palestine conflict raised hopes that the major powers would at last make a determined and collective effort to resolve a problem which, more than any other, has for decades poisoned relations between the West and the Islamic and Arab worlds. The legal and political principles on which such a settlement would be based were well established; President Clinton had grappled with the problem during his Presidency; the ingredients needed for a settlement were well understood; and informal agreements on several of them had already been achieved. But the hopes were ill-founded. Nothing effective has been done either to move the negotiations forward or to curb the violence. Britain and the other sponsors of the Road Map merely waited on American leadership, but waited in vain.

Worse was to come. After all those wasted months, the international community has now been confronted with the announcement by Ariel Sharon and President Bush of new policies which are one-sided and illegal and which will cost yet more Israeli and Palestinian blood. Our dismay at this backward step is heightened by the fact that you yourself seem to have endorsed it, abandoning the principles which for nearly four decades have guided international efforts to restore peace in the Holy Land and which have been the basis for such successes as those efforts have produced.

rest at...

http://juancole.com/

[Chicago Democrat]

1. Remaider of Letter....

This abandonment of principle comes at a time when rightly or wrongly we are portrayed throughout the Arab and Muslim world as partners in an illegal and brutal occupation in Iraq.

The conduct of the war in Iraq has made it clear that there was no effective plan for the post-Saddam settlement. All those with experience of the area predicted that the occupation of Iraq by the Coalition forces would meet serious and stubborn resistance, as has proved to be the case. To describe the resistance as led by terrorists, fanatics and foreigners is neither convincing nor helpful. Policy must take account of the nature and history of Iraq, the most complex country in the region. However much Iraqis may yearn for a democratic society, the belief that one could now be created by the Coalition is naive. This is the view of virtually all independent specialists on the region, both in Britain and in America. We are glad to note that you and the President have welcomed the proposals outlined by Lakhdar Brahimi. We must be ready to provide what support he requests, and to give authority to the United Nations to work with the Iraqis themselves, including those who are now actively resisting the occupation, to clear up the mess.

The military actions of the Coalition forces must be guided by political objectives and by the requirements of the Iraq theatre itself, not by criteria remote from them. It is not good enough to say that the use of force is a matter for local commanders. Heavy weapons unsuited to the task in hand, inflammatory language, the current confrontations in Najaf and Falluja, all these have built up rather than isolated the opposition. The Iraqis killed by coalition forces probably total between ten and fifteen thousand (it is a disgrace that the Coalition forces themselves appear to have no estimate), and the number killed in the last month in Falluja alone is apparently several hundred including many civilian men, women and children. Phrases such as "We mourn each loss of life. We salute them, and their families for their bravery and their sacrifice", apparently referring only to those who have died on the Coalition side, are not well judged to moderate the passions these killings arouse.

We share your view that the British government has an interest in working as closely as possible with the United States on both these related issues, and in exerting real influence as a loyal ally. We believe that the need for such influence is now a matter of the highest urgency. If that is unacceptable or unwelcome there is no case for supporting policies which are doomed to failure.

Yours faithfully,

Brian Barder
Paul Bergne
John Birch
David Blatherwick
Graham Boyce
Julian Bullard
Juliet Campbell
Bryan Cartledge
Terence Clark
David Colvin
Francis Cornish
James Craig
Brian Crowe
Basil Eastwood
Stephen Egerton
Dick Fyjis-Walker
William Fullerton
Marrack Goulding
John Graham
Andrew Green
Vic Henderson
Peter Hinchcliffe
Brian Hitch
Archie Lamb
David Logan
Christopher Long
Ivor Lucas
Ian McCluney
Maureen MacGlashan
Philip McLean
Christopher MacRae
Oliver Miles
Martin Morland
Keith Morris
Richard Muir
Alan Munro
Stephen Nash
Robin 0'Neill
Andrew Palmer
Bill Quantrill
David Ratford
Tom Richardson
Andrew Stuart
David Tatham
Crispin Tickell
Derek Tonkin
Charles Treadwell
Hugh Tunnell
Jeremy Varcoe
Hooky Walker
Michael Weir
Alan White

[oblivious]

2. These are people of some stature

The signatories are: Brian Barder, former high commissioner to Australia; Paul Bergne, Tony Blair?s former representative in Afghanistan; John Birch; David Blatherwick; Graham Boyce; Julian Bullard; Juliet Campbell, former ambassador to Luxembourg; Bryan Cartledge, former ambassador to Hungary; Terence Clark, former ambassador to Oman ; David Colvin, former ambassador to Belgium ; Francis Cornish, former ambassador to Israel; James Craig, former ambassador to Syria; Brian Crowe, former ambassador to Austria; Basil Eastwood, former ambassador to Switzerland; Stephen Egerton, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia; William Fullerton; Dick Fyjis-Walker; Marrack Goulding; John Graham; Andrew Green; Vic Henderson; Peter Hinchcliffe; Brian Hitch; Archie Lamb; David Logan; Christopher Long, former head of the Near East affairs at the Foreign Office; Ivor Lucas, former ambassador to Syria; Ian McCluney, former British high commissioner to Sierra Leone; Maureen MacGlashan, former ambassador to the Holy See; Philip McLean, former ambassador to Cuba; Christopher MacRae, former British high commissioner to Pakistan; Oliver Miles, former ambassador to Libya; Martin Morland, former ambassador to Libya; Keith Morris; Richard Muir, former ambassador to Kuwait; Alan Munro, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Stephen Nash, former ambassador to Georgia; Robin O'Neill, former ambassador to Austria; Andrew Palmer; Bill Quantrill; David Ratford; Tom Richardson; Andrew Stuart; David Tatham; Crispin Tickell, former ambassador to the UN; Derek Tonkin; Charles Treadwell; Hugh Tunnell; Jeremy Varcoe; Hooky Walker; Michael Weir and Alan White.

[Chicago Democrat]

3. Thanks for posting this..

[oblivious]

4. Former diplomats' attack on Blair is off the Richter scale, says Cook

1. Independent news article

<snip> Mr Cook, writing in The Independent, says it is inconceivable that agreement on a common text could have been reached among the former diplomats "without widespread sympathy for their views among the ambassadors who have replaced them".

Underlining the unprecedented importance of their letter, Mr Cook adds: "By the standards of diplomatic communiqués, their statement is off the Richter scale." <snip>

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=515996


2. Cooks column (pay to view)

The diplomats are right: Blair has been short-changed by the Bush administration

It shows how far we have slid into confrontation with the Islamic world that 'Arabist' should now be a term of abuse

Robin Cook

28 April 2004

Even Roget's Thesaurus would be hard pressed to come up with words that do justice to yesterday's defiance by professional diplomats. Unprecedented would be accurate but does not capture the dramatic character of their mutiny. Remember these are people who've spent their entire careers working under a code of discretion which valued secrecy, viewed publicity with distaste and made understatement a habit. It is eloquent testimony to their frustration with current policy that they felt driven to go public. By the standards of diplomatic communiqués their statement is off the Richter scale.

http://argument.independent.co.uk/regular_columnists/robin_cook/story.jsp?story=515963


Oh please let this be the political end of that obsequious, war-mongering, lying, pathetic little man.

[BadGimp]

5. Who cares..

W done said he don't travel in circles with Eleetes!

Not like that Woodwerd fella.

This will pass thru the US media faster than a fruit fart.

Move along .. nuttin to see here.

[oblivious]

6. Ya, I know it means little in the US

I'm just hoping it means enough in the UK that Labour will finally turf the undemocratic maniac out.

[FreakinDJ]

7. Like I said from the beginning

This support for OUR little tyrant's plans for war was political suicide for him. Just what does George have on him to get him to side so strongly with him is the question