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| UK Iraq policy a 'rank disaster' | UK Iraq policy a 'rank disaster' |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A high ranking British diplomat, who quit over the war with Iraq, has told MPs the government's policy in the region has been a "rank disaster". | A high ranking British diplomat, who quit over the war with Iraq, has told MPs the government's policy in the region has been a "rank disaster". |
| Carne Ross told the Foreign Affairs Committee the invasion had been a "greater disaster even than Suez". | Carne Ross told the Foreign Affairs Committee the invasion had been a "greater disaster even than Suez". |
| He went on to say "the proper legal advice from the Foreign office on the legality of the war was ignored". | He went on to say "the proper legal advice from the Foreign office on the legality of the war was ignored". |
| And he attacked the "politicisation" of the diplomatic service. Promotion depended on agreeing with Mr Blair. | |
| Mr Ross, who was head of strategy for the UN mission in Kosovo, and also played a leading role in devising policy on Iraq and Afghanistan, said there was a "political element at work in promotions to the most senior levels of the foreign office". | |
| And he had also noticed a growing tendency for officials "to tell ministers what they wish to hear in order to advance one's own individual prospects". | |
| He told MPs: "There is a kind of subtle and creeping politicisation of the diplomatic service that in order to get promoted you have to show yourself as being sympathetic in identifying with the views of ministers and, in particular, the prime minister. | |
| "Secondly, and this was the case in the Conservative government before Labour took office, decision-making powers have become increasingly concentrated in Number 10... the Foreign Office has become subsidiary to Number 10." | |
| On Iraq, he said the measure of success in foreign policy should be "minimisation of suffering" and "if that is your measure, our policy has been a rank disaster in the last few years in terms of blood shed". | |
| By that measure that invasion has been a much greater disaster even than Suez," he added. | |
| Mr Carne said Foreign Office officials had been split over the invasion of Iraq. |