Iran Press/ Middle East: The military invasion of the joint forces of the United States and the anti-Iraqi coalition titled Shock and Awe, also known as Iraqi Freedom, began on March 20, 2003. The official reason for the invasion was the alleged link between Saddam Hussein's regime with international terrorism, as well as the CIA's claim that there were stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, which was never proven. The invasion was not approved by the UN.
The coalition's ground forces entered Baghdad three weeks after the start of the operation following massive air bombardments and a rapid offense. On May 1, US President George W. Bush announced the end of hostilities and the beginning of the military occupation of the country.
The former Arab League chief Amr Moussa recalled that many international media asked him before the war to assess a possible US intervention in Iraq.
"I said then that the war in Iraq will open the gates of Hell. This had circulated in all of the world's media with the reference to the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States," he told Sputnik.
Commenting on the initiative to send an international expert team to investigate Iraqi nuclear developments, Moussa said he had met with Saddam Hussein soon after taking the post as the head of the Arab League to discuss such a possibility.
Today, the Iraqi leadership is strong and the country has every chance to restore its stability and security, but for this Baghdad needs the help of Arab countries and friendly states such as Russia, according to Moussa.
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