DEVELOPMENT
OF UK STRATEGY AND OPTIONS,
JANUARY TO APRIL
2002 – “AXIS OF EVIL” TO CRAWFORD
Introduction
and key findings ........................................................................................
387
President
Bush’s “axis of evil” speech and the UK response .......................................
388
No.10’s
response, mid-February 2002 ...................................................................
397
France’s
position, mid-February 2002 ...................................................................
399
The UK
diplomatic perspective ...............................................................................
402
Mr Blair’s
meeting with Mr Annan, 25 February 2002 ......................................
407
Development
of the rationale for dealing with the threat
from Iraq ...............................
410
JIC
Assessment, 27 February 2002: ‘Iraq: Saddam Under
the Spotlight’ ...............
412
MOD advice
to Mr Hoon, 27 February 2002 ...........................................................
416
Government
statements on the need to deal with the threat from Iraq
..................
418
Draft paper
on WMD programmes of concern .................................................
425
Cabinet, 7
March 2002 ...........................................................................................
425
The Cabinet
Office ‘Iraq: Options Paper’ ...............................................................
432
The process
for producing the Cabinet Office ‘Options Paper’ .......................
442
Lord
Goldsmith’s request to be kept informed ........................................................
447
Discussions
with the US Administration, March 2002 .............................................
448
Mr Blair’s
meeting with Vice President Cheney, 11 March 2002 ......................
448
Sir David
Manning’s discussions in Washington, 12 to 13 March
2002 ...........
452
Cabinet, 14
March 2002 ...................................................................................
456
Sir
Christopher Meyer’s advice, March 2002 ...................................................
456
Preparations
for Crawford .............................................................................................
459
FCO advice
on the role of the Iraqi opposition and the history of
weapons
inspections ..............................................................................................................
459
Current
Intelligence Group Assessment, 15 March 2002: ‘The Status of
Iraqi
WMD
Programmes’ ...............................................................................................
462
Mr Blair’s
minute, 17 March 2002 ...........................................................................
463
The threat
to the UK ...............................................................................................
464
Advice from
Cabinet Ministers ................................................................................
466
Cabinet, 21
March 2002 ...................................................................................
466
385