3.1 |
Development of UK strategy and options, 9/11 to early January
2002
18.
A report on
disarmament describing the work of UNSCOM since 1991 was
sent
to the
Security Council on 25 January 1999.5
That set
out in three detailed annexes
“material
balances”, for proscribed missiles, chemical and biological
weapons, for which
UNSCOM had
been unable to account. Those were subsequently used by the UK
as
the basis
for its estimates of the material Iraq might still
retain.
In his
speech to the Economic Club in Chicago of 22 April 1999 Mr Blair
identified Saddam
Hussein and
Mr Slobodan Milošević, the President of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia,
as the
cause of “many of our problems”.6
That speech
set out Mr Blair’s thinking on a doctrine of the international
community,
including
five principles for international intervention:
“First, are
we sure of our case? War is an imperfect instrument for
righting
humanitarian
distress; but armed force is sometimes the only means of
dealing
with dictators.
“Second,
have we exhausted all diplomatic options? We should always give
peace
every
chance, as we have in the case of Kosovo.
“Third, on
the basis of a practical assessment of the situation, are there
military
operations
we can sensibly and prudently undertake?
“Fourth,
are we prepared for the long term? In the past, we talked too much
of exit
strategies.
But having made a commitment we cannot simply walk away once
the
fight is
over; better to stay with moderate numbers of troops than return
for repeat
performances
with large numbers.
“And
finally, do we have national interests involved?”
Mr Blair
told the Inquiry that the speech had been intended to set out the
consequences
of an
interdependent world where countries would not be able to divorce
their national
interests
from the impacts of security problems in other parts of the
world.7
Ideas for
the speech, which Sir Lawrence Freedman submitted in response to a
request
from Mr
Jonathan Powell, Mr Blair’s Chief of Staff, were set out in the
attachment to
Sir Lawrence’s
letter to Sir John Chilcot on 18 January 2010. The letter was
published
on the
Inquiry’s website.
5
UN Security
Council, 29 January 1999, ‘Letter dated 25 January 1999 from the
Executive Chairman of
the Special
Commission established by the Secretary-General pursuant to
paragraph 9 (b) (i) of Security
Council
resolution 687 (1991) addressed to the President of the Security
Council’ (S/1999/94).
6
Speech, 23
April 1999, Doctrine of
the International Community.
7
Public
hearing, 29 January 2010, pages 26-27.
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