3.2 |
Development of UK strategy and options, January to April 2002 –
“axis of evil” to Crawford
511.
In relation
to the tactics on Iraq, Mr Powell suggested making the
case
against
Saddam Hussein and then setting an ultimatum seeking the return
of
weapons
inspectors.
512.
Mr Powell
advised Mr Blair on 28 March that:
“Your
meeting with Bush is an unusually important one and as timely on
substance
as it is
untimely in terms of domestic politics.
“On
substance I think we have two basic aims:
a) to agree
sensible plans for Iraq and for the MEPP. On the former I would
not
major on UN
authorisation or legal base or any of that. I would stick to
how
we come up
with a military and political plan that is likely to be
successful;
how we get
the necessary support; and how we set it up properly,
with
Afghanistan
as the model – we need to make the case against Saddam
and
then set an
ultimatum (in this case return of inspectors rather than
handing
over UBL).
On the MEPP, the US are now engaged …
b) to
capitalise on your standing in the US and your support for
the
513.
Mr Powell
foresaw the need: “In terms of positioning” to “wrestle with
three
important
audiences – the PLP, US and Europe – all of whom want to hear
different
things”. He
suggested:
“•
Putting
Iraq into the internationalist context. Refer back to Chicago
…
•
Make the
case against Iraq on grounds of the way it treats its own people as
well
as the WMD
threat.
•
Set an
ultimatum before we act rather than acting precipitately: we will
only act
if Iraq
defies UN resolutions by refusing to accept the inspectors back in
(and it
does need
to be anyone, anytime, anywhere).
•
Demonstrate
we do not have double standards by showing we are
persuading
the
Americans to engage seriously on the MEPP.”
514.
Finally, Mr
Powell advised on the need to position the Prime Minister’s
approach
“before,
during and after” the visit and suggested that Mr Blair should make
it clear that
he was
speaking as part of Europe as well as the UK: “You are a bridge not
a poodle!”
Mr Blair
needed “warm words from him [President Bush] on MEPP in return for
warm
words from
you on Iraq”. Mr Blair could use the speech at College Station, “to
put Iraq
into the
wider context”.
187
Minute
Powell to Prime Minister, 28 March 2002, ‘Crawford’.
479