THROUGH all the protests and pain that war with Iraq brought, there had always been justification.

The fear that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction was enough to convince many that conflict was the only way to make the world safer.

Yet there were doubts that Iraq was a real threat to world peace. Doubts which caused wounds that are still deep. The war may be won, but the country, and our region, has paid a heavy price.

We were divided. Protests, on a scale rarely seen in York and North Yorkshire, tore at the city's conscience.

Nobody doubts that the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein, but our justification - our reason for war - has taken a battering.

Today comes the claim that weapons of mass destruction may never be found in Iraq. It is a tough message to take.

At its heart is the sobering thought that a war in which thousands died may have been fought on a false premise.

Political reputations were put on the line. Prime Minister Tony Blair staked his credibility on his unshakeable belief that Saddam not just had, but would use, weapons of mass destruction.

More importantly, lives were at stake. The lives of men and women in York and North Yorkshire were put at risk.

They understood that risk, and they embraced it, because they felt they were contributing to a just cause. How must they feel today when they learn that cause may not have been justified?

What is clear is, despite the initial euphoria which greeted Saddam Hussein's ousting, the coalition forces have not been welcomed in Iraq.

It is as dangerous a place as it ever was. The tragic death of North Yorkshire soldier Ben Hyde confirms that.

We are an occupying army and such regimes are never accepted.

What is needed now is a plan for the way forward. A plan that will see the coalition bring stability to Iraq then leave.

That way we may at least have a chance to restore some of the credibility we have lost in war.

Updated: 10:37 Thursday, July 10, 2003