MAIL Online: David Miliband last night offered the most senior Government denouncement so far of the Iraq war.
In a strikingly self-critical speech, the Foreign Secretary admitted the invasion had damaged Britain's standing by leaving a legacy of 'bitterness, distrust and resentment' across the Muslim world.
Although he did not apologise for supporting the invasion of Iraq, he said that for centuries relations between Europe and the Islamic world had been characterised by 'conquest, conflict, and colonialism'.
Speaking to the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, he said: 'Decisions taken many years ago in King Charles Street [the Foreign Office] are still felt on the landscape of the Middle East and South Asia.
'Ruined crusader castles remain as poignant monuments to the religious violence of the Middle Ages. Lines drawn on maps by colonial powers were succeeded, amongst other things, by the failure -it has to be said not just ours - to establish two states in Palestine.
'More recently, the invasion of Iraq, and its aftermath, aroused a sense of bitterness, distrust and resentment. When people hear about Britain, too often they think of these things.'
Mr Miliband stressed the importance of the UK seeking out common ground with Islamic countries, and called for 'more political activism and more diplomatic engagement' to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. >>> By Ian Drury | Friday, May 22, 2009
