Prince attacks Bush on Iraq
2008-02-05 11:46
London - Britain's Prince Andrew launched a
sharp attack on Tuesday on US President George W Bush for
failing to listen to Britain during the conflict in Iraq.
In a newspaper interview ahead of a 10-day visit to America
to support British business, the prince, who is fourth in line
to the throne, said the aftermath of the Iraq war had left
Britons with a "healthy scepticism" towards what is said in Washington.
"If you are looking at colonialism, if you are looking at
operations on an international scale, if you are looking at
understanding each other's culture, understanding how to operate
in a military insurgency campaign - we have been through them
all," he said. "We've won some, lost some, drawn some."
"The fact is there is quite a lot of experience over here
which is valid and should be listened to," he told the
International Herald Tribune.
The prince, who also carries the title Duke of York, said
that while Britain remained America's number one ally, the
post-war situation in Iraq had prompted many here to wonder:
"Why didn't anyone listen to what was said and the advice that was given."
"(There are) occasions when people in the UK would wish
that those in responsible positions in the US might listen and
learn from our experiences," he said.
He added that it was, after all, the Americans who had asked
for advice: "It's not as if we had been forcing that across the Atlantic."
Prince Andrew served in the British Navy for 22 years and
saw active service as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands
war with Argentina in 1982 in which more than 1 000 people were killed.
He described that experience as one that changed him "out of
all recognition" and given him "a different view of life".
Now, as a full-time trade envoy for Britain, Andrew said he
realised "the real people who are actually making the United
Kingdom what it is are the people who are doing business".
He also used the interview to praise his ex-wife, Sarah
Ferguson, whom he divorced in 1996 after a 10-year marriage
which he said "didn't go quite according to plan".
"We have managed to work together to bring our children up
in a way that few others have been able to do and I am extremely
grateful to be able to do that," he said.