Finnish Foreign Minister: War in Iraq Is Blow to International Law

The war in Iraq has dealt a serious blow to the system of international law. As a result of the war, which was begun without UN approval, international law will suffer a major setback, said Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja during an appearance on Finnish television on Saturday, March 22.

Tuomioja said that it was important that the US' chosen manner of behaviour did not turn into a 'generally accepted model' on the basis of which any state could prevent or attempt to prevent a real or exaggerated threat from another state by the use of military force. He said that Europe and other countries should work to ensure that a new understanding of the importance of multilateral cooperation and taking into account mutual interests becomes embedded in the international community before too much harm is done and many people die.