"Britain went to war in Iraq before exhausting alternatives"

"Britain went to war in Iraq before exhausting alternatives"

According to the document, estimates of the threat posed by Saddam Hussein were presented with unjustified certainty; the consequences of the intervention were underestimated, and the planning of the invasion inadequate.

The full report has been prepared in 12 volumes and will be published in its entirety online. It strongly criticizes the moves of the British government and the "unconditional support" it provided the U.S. administration.

The report is the result of a British government investigation that lasted seven years and cost tens of millions of pounds, and should shed new light on the decision of Britain and then PM Tony Blair to join the fight against Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Chilcot said that the investigation established that the United States and Britain undermined the authority of the UN Security Council by insisting on military intervention before exhausting all peaceful alternatives.

The report said that Blair presented to the British parliament the intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq with unfounded certainty.

Chilcot underlined that it was now clear that the policy toward Iraq was built on the basis of bad intelligence and assessments, and that Blair deliberately exaggerated the threat of Iraq.

Also, the Chilcot team dealt with meetings Blair had with then U.S. President George W. Bush in 2002. Eight months before the start of the war Blair told Bush: "I will be with you whatever."

The report also rejected Blair's claims that it was "impossible to anticipate the problems that came after the invasion."

According to the report, the military operation was eventually completed in a way that was far from successful.

Some of the report's lessons are that Blair "overestimated his ability to influence U.S. decisions on Iraq, and the UK's relationship with the U.S. does not require unconditional support," BBC reported today.

In anticipation of the publishing of the document, former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said that Blair could face a war crimes trial before a Scottish court.

A demonstration was organized in London as the report was presented on Wednesday, with those who gathered calling for Blair to be put on trial.