Nelson Mandela condemned "small man" George W Bush over Iraq
Nelson Mandela condemned former US President George W Bush as a "small man" who was seeking to dominate the world over his decision to invade Iraq, it has emerged.
The South African freedom fighter-turned-world leader is said to believed strongly in the West as a force for good and felt betrayed by Mr Bush's unilateral grandstanding, and Tony Blair's support for it.
When the decision was taken in 2003 to invade without the backing of the UN, Mr Mandela, a Nobel Peace Laureate, called Peter Hain, the then Welsh Secretary and former anti-apartheid activist, to "breathe fire" about it.
He insisted then that Mr Bush was intent on deposing Saddam Hussein not because of a massive stockpile of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) but because he wanted to tap into Iraq's oil reserves.
The revelation came shortly after the launch of Mr Bush's book in which he maintains the decision to invade was right and claims that "no one was more shocked or angry" than him that WMD were not found....
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
The South African freedom fighter-turned-world leader is said to believed strongly in the West as a force for good and felt betrayed by Mr Bush's unilateral grandstanding, and Tony Blair's support for it.
When the decision was taken in 2003 to invade without the backing of the UN, Mr Mandela, a Nobel Peace Laureate, called Peter Hain, the then Welsh Secretary and former anti-apartheid activist, to "breathe fire" about it.
He insisted then that Mr Bush was intent on deposing Saddam Hussein not because of a massive stockpile of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) but because he wanted to tap into Iraq's oil reserves.
The revelation came shortly after the launch of Mr Bush's book in which he maintains the decision to invade was right and claims that "no one was more shocked or angry" than him that WMD were not found....