The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
programmes
and oil revenues, while lifting sanctions on civilian trade. It
also
sought to
build a wider consensus for “fundamental change inside Iraq,
while
respecting
Iraq’s territorial integrity”.
228.
The new
framework would require a new UN resolution.
229.
Sir Jeremy
Greenstock told the Inquiry that:
“The US and
the UK … began to revise their policy approach to concentrate
on
four
elements: narrowing and deepening sanctions so that they applied
much
more
directly to weapons systems; making it clear publicly that WMD were
the
priority
and that inspectors needed to return (but with sufficient powers to
avoid
Iraqi
manipulation of them); tightening controls on Iraqi oil revenues;
and otherwise
ensuring
the best possible containment of Iraq through the No-Fly Zones,
control of
smuggling
and eventually the full implementation of SCR
1284.”131
230.
On
7 March, Mr Sawers sent out a revised version of “the proposed
new policy
framework
on Iraq”, incorporating comments from the FCO, the MOD and the
Cabinet
Office.132
Mr Sawers
advised that the paper should be submitted to Mr Cook, Mr
Hoon
and Mr
Blair in advance of discussions between US and UK officials in
Washington.
231.
Mr Sawers’
covering letter highlighted the fact that the paper included a
number of
“implicit
deals”:
•
sanctions
on civilian trade would be ended in return for co-operation from
Iraq’s
neighbours
to bring all Iraqi oil revenues under UN control;
•
France and
Russia would secure more efficient approval procedures,
with
the Iraqi
Government having more freedom to buy civilian goods, in return
for
agreement
on continued UN control of oil revenues;
•
civilian
flights would be regularised in return for UN inspection of cargoes
at
the borders;
•
assets of
“non-regime” Iraqis would be unfrozen and private sector
trade
permitted
in return for targeted sanctions on those around Saddam
Hussein;
•
a new
consensus would be sought on the need for fundamental change
inside
Iraq, while
respecting Iraq’s territorial integrity; “pending such change,
military
measures
(including the No-Fly Zones) would have to be at least tolerated”;
and
•
resolution
1284 would remain part of the policy and “many of the benefits for
Iraq
would be
brought forward without the need for Iraqi
compliance”.
232.
The paper set
out a number of “headlines”:
“A revised
set of controls would be introduced as soon as possible, focused on
Iraq’s
WMD and
military programmes. Purely economic sanctions would cease. In
return,
131
Statement,
27 November 2009, page 2.
132
Letter
Sawers to Cowper-Coles, 7 March 2001, ‘Iraq: New Policy Framework’
attaching Paper,
[undated],
‘Iraq: New Policy Framework’.
236