24 mar 2005

Iraq action 'crime of aggression'

Lord Goldsmith has denied being 'leaned on'

The Iraq war amounted to a "crime of aggression", the former deputy legal
adviser to the Foreign Office has said. Elizabeth Wilmshurst made the
claim before war in her resignation letter, obtained by the BBC News
Website. But part of the letter has not been released. A report on
Channel 4 claims it shows the attorney general changed his mind on the
legality of the war. The attorney general's spokesperson said Lord
Goldsmith's independent view was that action in Iraq was lawful.

'Professional privilege'

Ms Wilmshurst resigned from her post on the eve of war because she did
not believe military action in Iraq was legal.

In her resignation letter, Ms Wilmshurst says military action in Iraq
was "an unlawful use of force" which "amounts to the crime of aggression."

"Nor can I agree with such action in circumstances which are so
detrimental to the international order and the rule of law," she says.

The letter was requested by the BBC News Website's World Affairs
correspondent Paul Reynolds under the Freedom of Information Act - but part
of the letter was not revealed.

The Foreign Office said the missing part was covered by exemptions
relating to the professional privilege applying to a law officer in the
formulation of government policy.

According to Channel 4 News, the missing piece refers to legal advice
Lord Goldsmith gave to the government.

'Legitimacy'

Channel 4, without giving a source for the information, quotes Ms
Wilmshurst as indicating that the attorney general changed his mind at the
last minute, giving approval for the war after having previously opposed it.

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Parents 'could pick babies' sex'

Parents could be permitted to select their baby's sex
Parents undergoing IVF could be allowed to select the sex of their baby
under proposals put forward by MPs.
A Commons Science and Technology Committee report said more decisions about
fertility treatment should be made by patients and their doctors.
The MPs also called for the regulator, the Human Fertilisation and
Embryology Authority, to be disbanded.
And they said "taboo" research, such as implanting human cells into animals,
should be considered, with regulation.
It makes a number of bold and challenging recommendations

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