International

Iraq war a mistake, feel Americans

One of the most cowardly wars ever fought in history, says Arundhati Roy

WASHINGTON: Just over half of Americans, 53 per cent, now say the war in Iraq was a mistake — the highest percentage to say that in AP-Ipsos polling since December 2003, when two-thirds said the war in Iraq was the right thing to do.

The poll taken earlier this week also found that almost six in 10 disapprove of the Bush administration's conduct of the war, but about the same number say they would prefer keeping troops until the situation is stable instead of immediately withdrawing them from Iraq.

The findings come from a poll of 1,000 adults conducted between June 20-22 for The Associated Press by Ipsos, an international polling firm.

The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points. — AP

More deaths

AFP reports from Istanbul:

The World Tribunal on Iraq (WTI), a grouping of NGOs and intellectuals, including Indian novelist Arundhati Roy, opposed to the war in Iraq, have accused the U.S. of causing more deaths in Iraq than the former President, Saddam Hussein.

``With two wars and 13 years of criminal sanctions, the United States have been responsible for more deaths in Iraq than Saddam Hussein,'' Larry Everest, a journalist, told hundreds of anti-war activists gathered in Istanbul. Founded in 2003, the WTI is modelled on the 1960s Russell Tribunal, created by the British philosopher Bertrand Russell to denounce the war in Vietnam.

It has held about 20 sessions so far in different locations around the world. A symbolic verdict was to be handed down on Monday by the 14 ``jurors of conscience'' — including Ms. Roy, winner of the 1997 Booker Prize for ``The God of Small Things.''

The tribunal has for the past two years been gathering what it says is evidence that the war launched in March 2003 to oust Mr. Hussein was illegal, and it has also been gathering evidence of exactions allegedly committed by coalition troops.

"Try war criminals"

Its verdict on Monday after its final session is expected to condemn both the U.S. and Britain.

Ms. Arundhati Roy told the gathering here that ``The evidence collated in this tribunal should ... be used by the International Criminal Court — whose jurisdiction the United States does not recognise — to try as war criminals George Bush, Tony Blair, John Howard, Silvio Berlusconi, and all those government officials, army generals, and corporate CEOs who participated in this war and now benefit from it.''

She added that the tribunal was ``an act of resistance'', ``a defence mounted against one of the most cowardly wars ever fought in history.''

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