Former NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has fiercely criticised the Davids Commission inquiry into the decision-making process about political support for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. At the time, Mr De Hoop Scheffer was the Dutch foreign minister.

The Davids inquiry wrote in its report that the cabinet failed to inform parliament that the intelligence services had doubts about the existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

However, in an interview with newspaper de Volkskrant the former foreign minister argues that the cabinet did fully inform parliament and that there were never any doubts.

He rejects the inquiry's conclusion that the cabinet took less than 45 minutes to decide to give political support to the United States.

Mr De Hoop Scheffer also contests the inquiry's conclusion that Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende failed to provide adequate leadership. In addition, he argues that no United Nations mandate was needed for the invasion of Iraq.

The former NATO secretary general points out there was no UN mandate when the Netherlands supported the 1991 US operations in Iraq.

The Davids inquiry investigated whether Mr De Hoop Scheffer's appointment as NATO secretary general was the result of his support for the US-led invasion of Iraq, but was unable to find any proof to substantiate these rumours.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide