Charles Kennedy Leads Hampshire Liberal Democrat Contingent In Record London Rally Against War

10.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 17th Feb 2003

Charles Kennedy MP, Chris Huhne MEP and Sandra Gidley MP on the march

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, led thousands of Liberal Democrats including many from Hampshire on the march and rally against an Iraqi invasion on Saturday.

Leading Hampshire Liberal Democrats joined Mr Kennedy as he made the first of two speeches of the day warning the Prime Minister not to commit Britain to war without a resolution from the United Nations and the exhaustion of peaceful means.

Sandra Gidley, Romsey MP and Chris Huhne, Hampshire MEP, were both on the platform as Mr Kennedy addressed Liberal Democrats gathering near Waterloo station for the march along the embankment and Whitehall to Hyde Park (Pictures available and sent separately).

Mr Kennedy said: "I have yet to be persuaded that the case for war against Iraq has been made. He went on to say that he is not a pacifist and his party is not an anti-war party. It is positively pro-UN: "This is the riskiest moment for Britain since Suez. Our country has a principled and responsible role to play on the world stage. But to do so we have to pursue international justice through the United Nations. And the government has to take the people with them." (Full remarks on www.libdems.org.uk)

Commenting on the march and rally, Chris Huhne MEP said: 'This was an impressive and determined display by people who feel that the Prime Minister has not yet made a persuasive case for armed intervention in Iraq.

The weapons inspectors are succeeding in disarming Iraq, as Hans Blix's report showed on Friday. They must be given more time to complete the process' said Mr Huhne.

'An invasion of Iraq can only be a last resort so long as it is sanctioned by the United Nations. If it is not, it risks fomenting the very middle eastern terrorism that the American administration says it wants to stamp out.

'There cannot be one international law from the powerless and another for the powerful' said Mr Huhne. 'The law applies to the United States as well as the United Arab Emirates'.

'It is simply not possible for Britain and the United States to launch a war because we disapprove of the Iraqi regime and want to change it. There are sadly many other regimes of the 200 states in the world that fall short of respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Where would we stop?'

Ends