US Admission Means Coalition Forces Must Plan For Exit - Campbell

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 27th Apr 2005

Commenting on the statement by US General Richard Myers that the insurgency in Iraq is as strong as a year ago, and the admission of Charles Duelfer that the search for WMD is finally over, Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat Shadow Foreign Secretary, said:

"After the understandable optimism of the January elections in Iraq, realism has returned. For the head of US armed forces to acknowledge that the insurgency is as bad now as it was twelve months ago is a substantial admission.

"Where is the strategy to meet the challenge which this poses and how long will it be before the British and American Governments accept that the presence of coalition forces is a major contribution to unrest? Hard-thinking is now required to determine the terms upon which Britain and America should make their exit.

"Charles Duelfer's statement that inquiries into weapons of mass destruction in Iraq have been exhausted simply reminds us once again that we went to war on a flawed prospectus in circumstances of illegality."