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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8453305.stm

Dutch inquiry says Iraq war had no mandate

A Dutch inquiry into the Iraq war says that military action was not justified by UN resolutions on Iraq.

The Committee of Inquiry on Iraq said security council resolutions did not "constitute a mandate for... intervention in 2003".

The inquiry was launched after foreign ministry memos were leaked that cast doubt on the legal basis for the war.

The Netherlands gave political support to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but has denied having any military role.

The report could bitterly embarrass the Dutch government and reinforce the international case against the Iraq war, says the BBC's Europe correspondent Jonny Dymond.

The Davids Commission - named after the retired senior judge who leads it - was established just under a year ago, following a political revolt against Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende.

It was Mr Balkenende who, back in 2003, lent political support to the invasion of Iraq.

The justification was then made that UN resolutions had been flouted, but a memo from the time by Dutch foreign ministry lawyers, subsequently leaked, suggested that the war was in fact illegal under international law.

The inquiry has looked into the legality of the war, the quality of Dutch intelligence, the government's decision-making process, and whether there was any Dutch military involvement.

While the government has always said its military was not involved in the invasion, questions have been raised because Dutch troops were taking part in exercises nearby at the time.

Former Blair aide faces Iraq probe

John Chilcot, chairman of the inquiry, insists the probe will not be a whitewash [AFP] A former spokesperson for Tony Blair, the British prime minister who sent UK troops into Iraq, will give evidence to a public inquiry on the war. Alastair Campbell, the first big name witness to appear before the Chilcot inquiry in London, is likely to face questions on Tuesday about the intelligence Britain used to make the case to go to war in 2003. The inquiry, led by retired civil servant John Chilcot, is investigating whether Campbell pressured intelligence officials to beef up the case against Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, to bolster Blair's case for changing the government in Baghdad. The former director of communications denied a BBC report that he "sexed up" a dossier claiming Iraq could launch a chemical or biological attack within 45 minutes, to help justify the war. Suicide Dr David Kelly, the UK ministry of defence weapons expert, believed he may have been the source of the BBC's story, and officials confirmed his name as such to some reporters. Kelly was found dead near his home with slashed wrists soon afterwards. Campbell resigned in August 2003, a month after Kelly's suicide, insisting he had decided to resign to spend more time with his family well before Kelly's death. An official inquiry subsequently exonerated him over the affair. Evidence Blair will give evidence sometime in the two-week period from January 25. Public interest is so great that a ballot is being held for seats. The former prime minister faced a major backlash in Britain over the decision to support former US president George Bush over the war. Blair insisted last month he would have supported the war, which did not get United Nations approval, even if he had known Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction. He resigned in 2007, having led his Labour party to three election wins. The inquiry, which started hearing testimony in late November, has faced criticism that it is not questioning witnesses rigorously enough. Critics of the invasion had long demanded an investigation into whether the war, which was extremely unpopular in Britain, was illegal. Many were disappointed when it was announced that the inquiry had no power to apportion blame or establish criminal or civil liability.