3.1 |
Development of UK strategy and options, 9/11 to early January
2002
57.
In his
statement to the House of Commons on 14 September, Mr Blair said
that the
events of
11 September had been a warning and that “we should act on the
warning”.31
Terrorists
would:
“… if they
could, go further and use chemical, biological and or even
nuclear
weapons of
mass destruction. We know, also, that there are groups of
people,
occasionally
states, who will trade the technology and capability of such
weapons.”
“We believe
in reason, democracy and tolerance. These beliefs are the
foundation
of our
civilised world. They are enduring, they have served us well, and
as history
has shown,
we have been prepared to fight, when necessary, to defend
them.
The fanatics
should know that we hold our beliefs every bit as strongly as they
hold
theirs, and
now is the time to show it.”
59.
In response to
an intervention from Mr Paul Marsden (Labour), who asked
for
caution in
the light of reports from American sources that NATO bombing might
occur in
Sudan,
Iraq, Iran, Syria and Afghanistan, Mr Blair replied that Mr
Marsden and others:
“… should
not pay too much attention to some of the wilder pieces of
speculation
that
inevitably are made at a time like this. It is important to
recognise that the way
in which
the United States of America has proceeded so far is exactly right:
in a calm
and
considered way, and in close consultation with allies such as
ourselves.”32
60.
Mr Blair added
that it was:
“…
important that … we base our identification of those responsible on
proper
evidence,
but then that we are relentless in our pursuit of those responsible
and
bringing
them to justice.”
61.
In the
subsequent debate on international terrorism, Iraq was mentioned
briefly by
a number of
speakers, including Mr Tam Dalyell (Labour), who argued that a
generation
in Iraq and
elsewhere in the Middle East was “growing up absolutely to loathe
the United
States and
Britain” and urged the Government to look again at “10 years of
bombing of
62.
Asked when he
had taken the decision that “we should be prepared to join
the
Americans
in using force and that we should be prepared to use force
ourselves” against
Iraq, Mr
Blair told the Inquiry:
“I think I
said in my statement of 14 September 2001 that I think this issue
of WMD
is going to
take on a different meaning now. Of course the Americans had
already
a policy
of regime change. That was a policy in fact articulated by
President Clinton,
31
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 14
September 2001, columns 606-607.
32
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 14
September 2001, column 616.
33
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 14
September 2001, column 632.
323