Gordon Brown tells Iraq inquiry 'I believe we made the right decisions for the right reasons'

LONDON // The British prime minister Gordon Brown yesterday gave his most unequivocal backing to date for the military action that ousted Saddam Hussein in 2003. "I believe we made the right decisions for the right reasons," he insisted to the Iraq Inquiry in London, as he portrayed Saddam as an international pariah and a threat to regional stability.

In a confident if never electrifying, four-hour appearance before the inquiry headed by Sir John Chilcot, Mr Brown - chancellor of the exchequer at the time - denied that he had been kept out of the decision-making loop by the then-prime minister, Tony Blair. While he acknowledged that he had not been part of the inner circle that had planned much of the UK's war strategy in concert with the then-US president, George W Bush, he insisted he had been kept fully briefed throughout 2002 and 2003.

Speaking self-assuredly in his somewhat dour Scottish baritone, Mr Brown told the committee: "I was given information by the intelligence services which led me to believe that Iraq was a threat that had to be dealt with by the actions of the international community. "I cannot see the argument that says the cabinet were not informed. We were informed fully about the process of the negotiations." Before, during and even after the war, Mr Brown had said little of Britain's involvement, leading many to believe that he had reservations about the enterprise.

Yesterday, he did his best to dispel the impression that Iraq had just been a "Blair-Bush war", even if he did it in a manner reminiscent of one of the less interesting guests on a TV chat show. Inevitably, comparisons were drawn between Mr Brown's performance and that two months ago of Mr Blair, the consummate crowd-pleaser and past master of the TV sound bite. Mr Brown knew it was not an act he could match, so he did his best to emphasise his more straightforward approach, playing the "ordinary bloke" to Mr Blair's media superstar.

Even Mr Brown's arrival at the conference centre hosting the inquiry was in marked contrast to Mr Blair's. The latter's limousine arrived more than two hours before the start and he was secretly whisked in via a rear door. Yesterday, Mr Brown's 4x4 pulled up outside the front of the centre 20 minutes before the inquiry was due to convene. He got out and walked purposefully through the main entrance, pausing to button the jacket of his dark blue suit.

Only a small knot of anti-war protesters was there to greet him, compared to the several hundred who had gathered for Mr Blair. They held aloft a large, blood-red-stained cheque for £8.5 billion (Dh46bn; the estimated cost of Britain's involvement in the war) and chanted: "Gordon Brown, to The Hague" - a reference to their demand that the prime minister go before a war-crimes tribunal. There had been speculation that Mr Brown might try to distance himself from Mr Blair's decision to go to war. But he did not.

He even had praise for Mr Blair, the man who stood between him and 10 Downing Street for a decade. "Everything Mr Blair did, he did properly and I was kept fully informed about the information that I needed to make my decisions," said Mr Brown. He insisted that "right up to the last minute, right up to the last weekend, I think many of us were hopeful that the diplomatic route would succeed". But Saddam was a threat to international order and had to be dealt with, in the end that meant by force, he said, expressing his belief at the time that intelligence on Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction was correct.

He accepted, though, that there had not been sufficient planning for post-conflict reconstruction in Iraq. "It was one of my regrets that I wasn't able to be more successful in pushing the Americans on this issue - that the planning for reconstruction was essential, just the same as planning for the war," he said. Mr Brown said that there had to be an effective economic planning to achieve "a just peace", be it in Iraq, Afghanistan or Palestine.

Mr Brown also denied that British troops did not get the equipment they needed because, as chancellor, he had blocked funding. "I said that every single request for equipment had to be met and every request was met," he said. "At any point, commanders were able to ask for equipment that they needed and I know of no occasion when they were turned down." Sir Menzies Campbell, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, the only major UK party to oppose the war, said afterwards: "Gordon Brown's articulate performance cannot conceal the fact that military spending was inadequate, that intelligence was flawed and that there were no weapons of mass destruction.

"Seven years on, he has now allied himself, without qualification, to Tony Blair's decision to embark on the worst foreign policy disaster since Suez in 1956." * dsapsted@thenational.ae

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)

Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)

West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)

Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)

Sunday

Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)

Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)

Everton v Liverpool (10pm)

Monday

Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo

Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm

Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km

On sale: December

Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

Cryopreservation: A timeline

Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
Ovarian tissue surgically removed
Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months

Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE

Join parent networks
Look beyond school fees
Keep an open mind

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

MADAME%20WEB

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

Europe’s rearming plan

Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital

The Bio

Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”

Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”

Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”

Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association

War and the virus

Simon Rushton: War vet raises £12m for health workers

The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
not be younger than 25 years old
not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially

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Europe wide

Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.

Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.

In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013

Takreem Awards winners 2021

Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)

Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)

Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)

Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)

Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)

Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)

Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)

Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)

Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)

Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)

Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)

MORE ON CORONAVIRUS & THE ECONOMY

Opinion: Why saving is the smartest thing to do in a pandemic

Analysis: How the markets have been hit and why you must not panic

News: China's economy is beginning to show signs of normalisation

How to turn your property into a holiday home

Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
Research equivalent Airbnb homes in your location to ensure competitiveness.
Post on all relevant platforms to reach the widest audience; whether you let personally or via an agency know your potential guest profile – aiming for the wrong demographic may leave your property empty.
Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.