Inquiry says conflict had no sound mandate in international law as it emerges UK denied key letter to seven-judge tribunal

The war in Iraq had "no basis in international law", a Dutch inquiry found today, in the first ever independent legal assessment of the decision to invade.

In a series of damning findings, a seven-member panel in the Netherlands concluded that the war, which was supported by the Dutch government following intelligence from Britain and the US, had not been justified in law.

UNITED NATIONS The Associated Press-- The United Nations has cut back sharply on investigations into corruption and fraud within its ranks -- shelving cases involving the possible theft or misuse of millions of dollars, an Associated Press review has found.

At least five major cases in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa are among the inquiries halted as the U.N. scaled back on self-policing during the past year.

The case originated in an application (no. 4158/05) against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by two British nationals, Mr Kevin Gillan and Ms Pennie Quinton (“the applicants”) on 26 January 2005. The completed application form was filed on 30 April 2007.

The applicants alleged that the powers of stop and search used against them by the police breached their rights under Articles 5, 8, 10 and 11 of the Convention.

The Court agreed.

See excerpts of the decision below.

(Jerusalem Post Jan 5, 2010 ) Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon met with Britain's Attorney-General Baroness Scotland of Asthal in Jerusalem on Tuesday, to discuss the issue of changing UK law to prevent the arrest of Israeli officials and officers.

During the meeting, Baroness Scotland said that she is aware of the importance that Israel attributes to finding an urgent solution to this problem, and that the British are currently considering different courses of action aimed at solving the problem.

Ayalon called the current situation "insufferable," and said, "This will make it difficult for the two countries to maintain a normal relationship."

The deputy foreign minister also bewailed the manipulation that organizations hostile to Israel were making of British law to carry out their goals. He stressed that most Israeli citizens - not just political figures and high-ranking officers - serve in the IDF. It goes against Britain's best interests, he said, to deter Israelis from visiting the country.

Shortly before the meeting it was revealed that a delegation of IDF officers canceled a planned visit to the UK last week, after the British hosts failed to guarantee that arrest warrants would not be issued against the invitees.  Read full story at source