Commenting on the news that Iran will release the British naval personnel, Liberal Democrat Leader Menzies Campbell said:
“There will be many lessons to be learned from this episode. But for the moment we should welcome this announcement and look forward to the return of the naval personnel.
“Their seizure underlines the difficult and dangerous tasks we ask of our armed forces.”
Ming Campbell gave this speech at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy. You can listen to the speech here.
Ming Campbell recently wrote to party supporters as follows:
Of all the problems that face our country today, the situation in Iraq is the most tragic; not only because of the scale of the catastrophe in that country - food shortages, electricity and oil supplies still below their pre-war levels, and the rise of sectarian violence with 3000 deaths per month - but because this terrible situation could and should have been avoided.
Liberal Democrats opposed the 2003 invasion on principle. It was an illegal war, fought without a proper plan for postwar reconstruction. We also now know that it was launched on a flawed prospectus. Weapons of Mass Destruction - ready to fire within forty minutes of a command - simply did not exist.
Responding to Tony Blair’s comments that Britain intends ‘to hold its nerve’ in Iraq, Liberal Democrat Leader Ming Campbell said:
If we are to salvage anything from Iraq the essential first step is an admission from the Prime Minister and President Bush that they got it wrong. Their strategy is in ruins.
In March 2003 Parliament was allowed to debate whether military action should be taken surely Parliament should now be allowed to debate whether we stay or go. The Government owes that to the House of Commons but most of all to the British people.
Lib Dem News
Commenting on a 
