Among Iraqis, Colin Powell's death awakens bitter memories
Colin Powell, then US Secretary of State, alongside then Iraqi President Ghazi Yawar during a visit to Baghdad on July 30, 2004, a year after the US invasion.
The consequences of the war are still being suffered by the Iraqis today.
© Elizabeth Dalziel, Reuters
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
As tributes pour in for General Colin Powell, who died of Covid-19 on Monday, October 18, Iraq has more bitter memories of the former Secretary of State.
In his speech in February 2003 to the United Nations Security Council, he presented the evidence of the presence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
But no weapon was found there.
Eighteen years later, Iraqis are still living the consequences of his “
state lie
”.
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With our correspondent in Baghdad,
Lucie Wassermann
The speech by
Colin Powell address to the United Nations Security Council
marked the spirits in Iraq.
Whoever was then US Secretary of State had to present evidence of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in the country.
But above all it turned out to be a state lie that led to a particularly bloody war, recalls 56-year-old Nahla:
“His report to the UN prompted George Bush Jr. to invade Iraq.
So I wonder today if his soul met the souls of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi victims, he would surely ask their forgiveness, but would they forgive him?
I'm not sure about that.
What I'm sure, though, is that his reputation will be tarnished forever.
"
Years later, Colin Powel himself called his speech an "
indelible stain
" on
his career and reputation
.
"He
was just an employee
"
On several occasions, he expressed his regret publicly, and claimed that he himself did not believe in the evidence that he had been asked to present to the UN.
Ahmed, 34, does not hold it against him: “
Colin Powell was a member of the government.
He is not responsible in my opinion for everything that happened in Iraq afterwards.
He was just an employee.
"
However, with this speech, Colin Powell became one of the actors in this war in Iraq,
the consequences of which are still clearly visible today
.
►
To read also:
Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell died of Covid-19
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