The 170th Executive Committee of the Liberal International, meeting in Casablanca, Morocco, on 29th March 2003:
- Deplores the fact that war started without the UN Security Council being able to agree common ground on the issue of Iraq specifically through a new resolution and that the Security Council has therefore been sidelined;
- Notes that as a result of the failure to come to a united stand, the legal position has been disputed and that this will be a threat to international security in the future;
- Condemns the failure of the Iraqi government to fully comply with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council;
- Recognizes that the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is the cause of the present situation. He is the perpetrator, not the victim. He has breached numerous UN resolutions, violated international law on many occasions, employed poison gas against his own population in the past and instigated a reign of terror in his country. Had he backed down in time war could have been avoided;
- Believes that the hazardous situation that has now arisen also results from the failure of transatlantic diplomacy and the lack of European unity. Liberal International urges its leaders who play a vital role in the UN, NATO and the EU to re-build transatlantic bridges and to unite for the cause of human rights, the rule of law and liberal democracy as universal values;
- Expresses concern for the men and women of the armed forces and their families;
- Hopes for a swift conclusion of the war, with minimal casualties for all sides including innocent Iraqi civilians; now that military action in Iraq has been undertaken;
- Is deeply concerned about the consequences of the war: for the Iraqi civilians; the stability of the region, the Kurdish question; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; the likely flow of refugees;
- Calls upon the reconstruction of Iraq to be carried out under UN authority, ensuring the provision of humanitarian aid and assistance in nation-building;
- Emphasizes the importance of the re-launch of the peace process in the Middle East for a secure Israel and an independent Palestinian state.
