Iraq invasion 'a big mistake'

2005-11-16 18:15

Dubai - The United States made a "big mistake" when it invaded Iraq, said former President Bill Clinton on Wednesday, citing the lack of planning for what would happen after dictator Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

Clinton said: "Saddam is gone. It's a good thing, but I don't agree with what was done."

Clinton was speaking to students at American University of Dubai.

He said: "It was a big mistake. The American government made several errors ... one of which is how easy it would be to get rid of Saddam and how hard it would be to unite the country."

Clinton was taking questions from Arab students on the US invasion of Iraq, which begun in March 2003. His response drew cheers, and a standing ovation at the end of the hour-long session.

'US had done some good things'

Clinton said the US had done some good things in Iraq: the removal of Saddam, the ratification of a new constitution and the holding of parliamentary elections.

Clinton said: "The mistake that they made is that when they kicked out Saddam, they decided to dismantle the whole authority structure of Iraq.

"We never sent enough troops and didn't have enough troops to control or seal the borders." As the borders were unsealed, "the terrorists came in".

Clinton said it would have been better if the US had left Iraq's "fundamental military and social and police structure intact".

His remarks came a day after defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld quoted officials from Clinton's 1992-2000 administration as saying that Saddam was a security threat to the US and its allies.

Recent opinion polls had showed Bush's approval ratings, and support for the war in Iraq, plummeting to the lowest points of his presidency

- AP