Following the release of the Chilcot Report in Britain, a new group, Chilcot Oz, formed in South Australia to advocate for a full inquiry into Australia's involvement in the Iraq war.
Chilcot Oz spokesperson, Mike Khizam, said the 100,000 people who marched for peace in Adelaide in February 2003 always knew that the Iraq War was unjustified. The Chilcot Report validates this and there are now a growing number of calls for a similar inquiry in Australia.
Khizam said: “The evidence is in, and it is clearer than ever: the 'intelligence' was flawed with many in the intelligence community itself questioning the accuracy of the information, while many citizens accurately contended the evidence was non-existent. There was no imminent threat to the world from Saddam Hussein, and peaceful options had not been exhausted. The plans for invasion were not even able to secure the support of the United Nations or key US NATO allies such as Germany or France.
“An unjustified war has wrought continuing havoc in Iraq, with violent deaths occurring on a daily basis and civil society having now collapsed.
“The existence of ISIS as a destabilising force in the Middle-East is based in part on the outcomes of that war.
“Whatever basis there was for the claim that Saddam Hussein possessed so-called weapons of mass destruction, it was exaggerated and misrepresented by world leaders, including Australia's then-Prime Minister John Howard, to justify this disastrous invasion.
“Chilcot Oz is joining the calls of groups such as the Medical Association for the Prevention of War and individuals such as Andrew Wilkie MP, for a high level inquiry preferably a Royal Commission,” said Khizam. Chilcot Oz will hold a public rally at Adelaide's parliament house at midday on July 17 in support of an Australian inquiry.
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