The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
Members who
support the Government on this issue” to make their views known in
a
debate on
Iraq which would take place on 6 March.65
196.
Mr Bradshaw
stated that the UK’s “European allies very much share our
concern
that Iraq
should comply fully with its obligations under the United Nations
resolutions to
allow
weapons inspectors back into that country without any conditions
attached”. If Iraq
failed to
do that, the international community would:
“… face
some very difficult decisions. Those who oppose in principle any
talk of
a military
response against countries such as Iraq in such circumstances need
to
say how
they would deal with rogue states determined to acquire weapons of
mass
destruction
and use them on their neighbours and elsewhere.”66
197.
In an
article published on 5 March, Mr Straw stated that if Saddam
Hussein
refused to
co-operate with weapons inspection, he would have to live with
the
consequences.
198.
Mr Straw wrote
an article, published in The
Times on 5 March,
stating:
“The
stalemate between the United Nations and Iraq cannot go on for
ever. For
more than a
decade, Britain and the United States have led the UN’s efforts
to
protect
Iraq’s neighbours from aggression and protect the world from Iraq’s
weapons
of mass
destruction.
“Iraq
persistently flouts the authority of the UN Security Council and
international
law …
“The threat
from Iraq is not receding. Unique among the world tyrants, Saddam
has
both the
ruthlessness and capability to employ weapons of mass
destruction.”67
199.
“The
international community’s most pressing demand” was that Iraq
should allow
UN
officials to inspect its weapons programmes.
200.
The article
concluded:
“We cannot
allow Saddam to hold a gun to the heads of his own people,
his
neighbours
and the world for ever. Intense diplomatic efforts will continue,
and I
hope they
will achieve our aim of removing the threat which Iraq’s weapons of
mass
destruction
pose to humanity. But if he refuses to open his weapons programmes
to
proper
international inspection, he will have to live with the
consequences.
“No
decisions have been taken, but let no one – especially Saddam –
doubt
our resolve.”
65
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 4 March
2002, column 128.
66
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 4 March
2002, column 129.
67
The
Times, 5 March
2002, Saddam must
allow weapons inspectors into Iraq or suffer the
consequences.
420