3.2 |
Development of UK strategy and options, January to April 2002 –
“axis of evil” to Crawford
592.
Mr Blair
stated that “doing nothing” was not an option; the threat of
WMD
was real
and had to be dealt with. The lesson of 11 September was to ensure
that
“groups”
were not allowed to develop a capability they might
use.
593.
In his
memoir, Mr Blair characterised the message that he and
President
Bush had
delivered to Saddam Hussein as “change the regime attitude on
WMD
inspections
or face the prospect of changing regime”.
594.
In the press
conference President Bush said that the bonds between the
peoples
of the US
and UK were “stronger than ever” and that they shared “common
interests and
a common
perspective on the important challenges of our
times”.230
He was
“extremely
grateful”
for Mr Blair’s “courageous leadership” since 11 September, and the
world
was
“grateful for all that Great Britain has contributed in the war
against terror”. He and
Mr Blair
both understood that “defeating global terror requires a broad
based, long-term
strategy”
and “the importance of denying terrorists weapons of mass
destruction”. They
had also
had “extensive conversations about the situation in the Middle
East” where
both
nations were “strongly committed to finding a just settlement”. He
and Mr Blair had
“agreed to
work closely in the weeks and months ahead on these difficult
issues”.
595.
Mr Blair said
he agreed with President Bush on the Middle East and that
they
had also
discussed international terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
They had
agreed that
“the issue of weapons of mass destruction cannot be ducked, it is a
threat,
it is a
danger to our world and we must heed that threat and act to prevent
it being
realised”.
In Afghanistan, it was important “not just that we root out the
last remnants of
the Al
Qaida terrorist network … but also that we help that country to go
from being a
failed
state … to a state that offers some hope of stability and
prosperity for the future”.
596.
In response to
questions about the need for military action in Iraq, Mr Bush said
he
and Mr
Blair had:
“… of
course, talked about Iraq. We both recognise the danger of a man
who
is willing
to kill his own people harboring and developing weapons of
mass
destruction
… He’s a man who obviously had something to hide.
“He told
the world that he would show us that he would not develop
weapons
of mass
destruction and yet, over the past decade he has refused to do
so.
And the Prime
Minister and I both agree that he needs to prove that he
isn’t
developing
… [WMD]
“I
explained … the policy of my government is the removal of Saddam
and that all
options are
on the table.”
230
The White
House, 6 April 2002, President
Bush, Prime Minister Blair Hold Press Conference.
495