Iraq war illegal, says Annan

Catholic New Times, Oct 10, 2004

LONDON -- The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has told the BBC thatthe U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was an illegal act that contravened the UN charter.

He said the decision to take action in Iraq should have been made by the Security Council, not unilaterally.

The UK government responded by saying the attorney-general made the "legal basis ... clear at the time."

Mr. Annan also warned that security in Iraq must considerably improve if credible elections are to be held in January. The UN chief said in an interview with the BBC World Service that "painful lessons" had been learnt since the war in Iraq.

"Lessons for the U.S., the UN and other member states. I think in the end everybody's concluded it's best to work together with our allies and through the UN," he said. "I hope we do not see another Iraq-type operation for a long time--without UN approval and much broader support from the international community."

He said he believed there should have been a second UN resolution following Iraq's failure to comply over weapons inspections.