London, March 6, (RHC).- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that the 2003 war and invasion of Iraq was "right" and that there are "lessons to learn" about international cooperation and how to build a "just peace" after wars.

Speaking before an inquiry on the war in London, Brown - who was chancellor at the time of the war - presented evidence weeks ahead of the UK general election, which is expected to be held in early May.

The inquiry session began with Brown being asked if he thought the decision to go to war had been the right one. He replied that he thought it was, adding: "I was given information by the intelligence services which led me to believe that Iraq was a threat that had to be dealt with by the actions of the international community."

Brown insisted that the British government wanted "a diplomatic route to succeed" and that was his hope "right up until the last weekend" before the invasion. He also revealed that he had spoken privately to then prime minister Tony Blair about Iraq from early 2002, in addition to discussions about it in cabinet.

The former British prime minister, Tony Blair, gave evidence to the inquiry in January. He said he had "no regrets" about removing Saddam Hussein from power and insisted the Iraq war had made the world a safer place.