bin Laden: Retains capacity for "further atrocities"

An influential committee of MPs has concluded that invading Iraq has done little to reduce the terrorist threat to Britain.

The commons foreign affairs committee said in a report on Thursday that the overthrow of Saddam Hussein could have "impeded" efforts to capture al Qaeda fugitives including Osama bin Laden.

With more questions being asked of the government as to why Britain went to war in Iraq, ministers will be forced to defend the action further in the light of the latest inquiry.

Ahead of Lord Hutton's judicial inquest into the death of Dr David Kelly, which could focus on intelligence warnings on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, the claim that the removal of Saddam would make the world a safer place will also now fall under the spotlight.

While that may be true in the immediate term for Iraq's neighbours, the effect the US led invasion could have on Arab opinion and the ongoing war on terrorism begun in Afghanistan are less clear cut, the MPs said.

In a report on the foreign policy aspects of the war against terrorism, the committee argued it is essential to rebuild relations with allies like France, following the disagreements over Iraq, in order to tackle terrorism effectively.

And the MPs urge the government to ensure that its support for America during the war with Iraq is rewarded with real benefits to Britain and its citizens.

Al Qaeda still possesses "dangerously large numbers of 'foot soldiers'" the committee warned, adding that bin Laden retains the capacity to "lead and guide the organisation towards further atrocities".

"The war in Iraq might in fact have impeded the war against al Qaeda," the report said.

"In spite of some notable progress, al Qaeda continues to pose a substantial threat to British citizens in the United Kingdom and abroad.

"We cannot conclude that these threats have diminished significantly, in spite of 'regime change' in Iraq and progress in capturing some of the leaders of al Qaeda.

"In the wake of the Iraq war, we recommend that the government make it a priority to work towards restoring the cohesion of the United Kingdom's international partnerships, better to face the daunting challenges of the continuing 'war against terrorism'."

Working towards peace in both Iraq and the Middle East will be crucial to the future stability of the region and the threat to wider world, the cross-party group concludes.

"The level of resentment of the new US and the United Kingdom presence in Iraq may well depend on the success or otherwise of efforts to improve the lives of the Iraqi people and progress in the Middle East peace process,'' MPs said.