Panel Slams Blair

19/03/2004| IslamWeb

A parliamentary committee that probed Britain's case for war in Iraq criticised the government yesterday for failing to cooperate fully, and asked MPs to consider whether sanctions should apply in the future. The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee noted that Prime Minister Tony Blair and several key defense and security chiefs declined to testify about whether the government exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein. "Our job is to scrutinise the Executive and we believe that we have been denied the tools to do our job effectively," said committee chairman Donald Anderson. Meanwhile, a shouting heckler interrupted Tony Blair's visit to a north London school yesterday, accusing the prime minister of being a war criminal. "You are a war criminal," activist Michael Start yelled at Blair. "You should not be here having this dialogue, the only dialogue you should be having is with the International Criminal Court." **PHOTO CAPTION*** Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. (AFP/File/Adrian Dennis)