Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has delivered Friday to a new exercise of self-justification for its second appearance in a year before the commission to shed light on British entry into the war in Iraq in 2003, alongside the Americans.
The chairman of the inquiry, Sir John Chilcot, had sent more than a hundred additional written questions to the former Labour leader. It opened in early morning discussions expected to last 4 to 5 hours, explaining that the second call was to "clarify" the answers provided so far by Mr.Blair.
Midway through the hearing broadcast by news channels continuously, the tone of the five investigators appeared a little less polished and the responses of Mr Blair were a little less abrasive, compared to the controversial meeting in January 2010.
However, the British prime minister from 1997 to 2007 did not change his argument on the merits, convinced of the rightness of his decision to go to war, and did not immediately brought new elements.
And so much that he refused - to the dismay of Sir Chilcot - to authorize the publication of his correspondence "very private" with former U.S. President George W.Bush, on the period when the two leaders have decided to "regime change" in Iraq during a meeting in Mr. Bush's Texas ranch in April 2002, eleven months before the invasion.
As in January 2010, Friday's debate revolved around three key issues: the war was legal in the absence of explicit UN resolution? Mr Blair said he deliberately manipulated public opinion to never proved the presence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), Iraq, which justified going to war? What was the reality of the alignment of Tony Blair - then called "Bush's poodle" by its detractors - the American neoconservatives?
A year ago, Mr.Blair had defended "no regrets" his "right decision" to overthrow "the monster Saddam." "Saddam's regime was brutal, it was a repressive military dictatorship. It was a source of instability and danger to the region," he said Friday.
The war was legal? The Attorney General, Senior Counsel for the Government, which this week again said he was "uncomfortable" about the absence of a UN resolution, has finally sided with the supporters of the invasion, assured Mr Blair."Otherwise, the United Kingdom could not, and did not participate in the decision to oust Saddam."
The reason for maintaining the secrecy of his correspondence with U.S. President? "Notes (addressed) to President Bush were very private. They were written when I wanted to get a change or adjustment of policy. It should be confidential," said Tony Blair. And these notes "are essentially in agreement with what I have expressed in public".
Asked about the front that were loaned, M.Blair has denied having said or written "George, whatever your decision, I will follow you."
In January 2010, a lawyer by profession and outstanding speaker had borrowed a backdoor to escape protesters and journalists. This time he entered through the main issue by asking a few seconds for photographers, while a score of demonstrators coalition Stop the War "chanted" Bliar ", a pun combining" Liar (liar) the surname of the former leader.
Among the demonstrators, Peter Brierley, whose son was killed in Iraq, called the trial of Tony Blair "war criminal".
