In his testimony before the Chilcot inquiry, Gordon Brown said he was not privy to crucial information concerning the buildup to the war. Clare Short told the inquiry that at the beginning of 2003 several Arab countries were negotiating exile with Saddam Hussein. The right question to ask those who will be heard should be: how would have you reacted had you known that there was a way, such as Saddam's exile, to avoid a war? The entire truth needs to emerge or we will have missed an opportunity to restore the west's credibility in the promotion of human rights and democracy.

STATEMENT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, ROME, ITALY: NOVEMBER 19, 2009

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Firstly, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Honorable Matteo Mecacci, Member of Parliament, for the invitation to speak here today on behalf of the indigenous Degar people known also as Montagnards.

Europe is proud of its soft power. A pride which, to a great extent, is justified by the return within the European family of people separated for half a century by an iron curtain, by the worthy humanitarian aid provided by the European Union in many critical points all over the planet, and by the determination in promoting multilateral cooperation as a means for conflict resolution.

Last Tuesday the US-EU Summit was held in Washington : no one, or hardly anyone noticed it. On the other hand, everyone knows well in advance that in a few days' time Barack Obama will visit China. In the midst of this oversight and attention, international relations over the past few years is slipping the balance of power away from transatlantic relations towards a transpacific axis, meaning the G2.