Michael Meacher, who served as a minister in the British cabinet for six years until three months ago, blamed Saturday the Iraq war on a US desire for domination of the Gulf and the world.
Meacher also claimed in an article published in Saturday's edition of the Guardian that the US war on terrorism is a smokescreen and that the US knew in advance about the September 11 attack on New York but, for strategic reasons, chose not to act on the warnings.
The Britsh official said the US goal is "world hegemony, built around securing by force command over the oil supplies" and that this Pax Americana "provides a much better explanation of what actually happened before, during and after 9/11 than the global war on terrorism thesis".
Meacher added that the US has made "no serious attempt" to catch the al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden. He also criticized the British government, claiming it is motivated, as is the US, by a desire for oil.
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
