International

SP leader Agnes Kant supports the idea of calling former Defence Minister Henk Kamp before parliament to hear what he has to say about the process which led to the decision to give political support to the war in Iraq. An independent commission of enquiry this week declared the war, and the government’s decision, to have been unlawful. “But in addition to Mr Kamp, there’s a number of other people that parliament should be questioning. For example, former minister Jaap De Hoop Scheffer and the weapons inspectors who were involved at the time. We should use the relevant instrument, a parliamentary enquiry. ”

A hearing alone would not satisfy Kant, as she explains: “Selective invitation of a few ministers who will perform for the media isn’t sufficient. It would also be interesting to hear the views of some of those who were involved but who are now keeping quiet. The big advantage of an official enquiry is that people would have to testify under oath.’’ Referring to the independent body which reported this week, she added, ‘‘The Davids Commission showed that when dealing with Iraq over the last seven years, the truth has not always been told. So it’s essential that we hear testimony given under oath if we are to get to the truth.”