UK Conservatives for inquiry into Iraq war

Britain's main opposition Conservative Party today renewed its call on the government to hold a full inquiry into the origins and conduct of the Iraq war.

The call was made by shadow foreign secretary William Hague, claiming the UK has been less willing than the US to evaluate its success and is also yet to explain how troop withdrawal plans will work.

According to the news site politics.co.uk, Hague in a speech to the Global Strategy Forum in London would also urge new Prime Minister Gordon Brown to evaluate Britain's relationship with the Middle East and promote a careful dialogue with Syria.

He was also due to stress the need to prevent a nuclear arms race in the region and the importance of renewing the Middle East peace process.

Hague, a former leader of the Conservatives, suggested that the government should make a quarterly report to parliament, setting out how Iraq is meeting goals for political stability, economic progress and a stable security environment.

The renewed call comes after a cross-party commission was launched in May with the aim of carrying out a fundamental review of the British government's policy in Iraq following the replacement of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The 17-member panel, which has been dubbed the UK version of Iraq Study Group in the US, includes former British envoy to Baghdad, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, who was also the UK Ambassador to the UN in the countdown to the war.

Several investigations have been held into different aspects of the war but the British government has continually refused to hold an independent inquiry into the events leading up to the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.