Socialist Alliance welcomed the news in June that a parliamentary inquiry into intelligence received on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq will have the power to call witnesses from three key intelligence organisations - ASIO, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Defence Signals Directorate. However, an inquiry which has no power to compel the Prime Minister and all his advisers to give evidence will not even begin to uncover how much Howard knew about the WMD lie.
The Socialist Alliance is instead calling for an open, public inquiry — an inquiry that has the power to compel all the politicians, senior public servants, military and spy chiefs who were involved in the WMD deception to give evidence.
Howard, Downer and his spy chiefs must be brought to public account for their great deception.
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While campaigning to expose the WMD deception, the Socialist Alliance is continuing to campaign for the withdrawal of all Australian troops from Iraq. You can help by signing and distributing the following petition:
Instead of participating in the on-going occupation, the Australian government should be paying war reparations so that Iraqis can rebuild their country, at the same time redirecting money in the federal budget from military spending to Medicare and schools.