Early Iraq legal opinion leaked - BBC NEWS | UK | UK Election 2005 | Election 2005 |

BBC NEWS | UK | UK Election 2005 | Election 2005 | Early Iraq legal opinion leaked:

"In the newly-leaked document, retyped from its original form, Lord Goldsmith says: 'I remain of the opinion that the safest legal course would be to secure the adoption of a further resolution to authorise the use of force...

'I accept that a reasonable case can be made that resolution 1441 is capable in principle of reviving the authorisation in 678 without a further resolution...

'However, the argument that resolution 1441 alone has revived the authorisation to use force in resolution 678 will only be sustainable if there are strong factual grounds for concluding that Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity.'
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The document concludes by saying: 'If we fail to achieve the adoption of a second resolution we would need to consider urgently at that stage the strength of our legal case in the light of circumstances at the time.'"