Iraq ‘occupation’ must end, say Lib Dems
The UK and US “occupation” of Iraq must come to an end, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman has said.
In his speech to the Lib Dem conference in Blackpool, Sir Menzies Campbell said Britain should promote an ethical foreign policy that stressed human rights and working jointly with other countries.
“Two and a half years on, we must begin to bring this occupation to an end,” Sir Menzies said.
Last year the Lib Dems passed a motion calling for the withdrawal of troops by the end of the year. But Sir Menzies stopped short of calling for troops to be brought home today.
He said the war had been carried out on a “false prospectus” and that the threat posed by Iraq had been “manufactured not in the sands of Iraq, but in the corridors of Whitehall”.
The failure to plan for the post-war situation was “inexcusable” he said, highlighting the “carnage” that filled TV screens on a daily basis.
The issue of the Iraqi war has dogged the government and the prime minister in particular. The Liberal Democrats made much of the issue during the last general election, while the Conservatives found this more difficult because of their initial support for the conflict.
Sir Menzies also spoke of the challenges posed by a globalised world, which could only be overcome by co-operation between countries.
Earlier, the Lib Dem spokesman Nick Clegg had also emphasised the importance of collective action to deal with economic globalisation, international terrorism and the threat to the environment.
Mr Clegg warned the government and the Conservatives not to ignore the issue of the future of the European Union.
The conference got off to a bright start on Sunday with Charles Kennedy describing it as “historic”, because the last election had left the party with the most MPs since 1927.
