3.2 |
Development of UK strategy and options, January to April 2002 –
“axis of evil” to Crawford
639.
Mr Kennedy
welcomed the fact that “if decisions on Iraq have to be reached
at
some point
in the future”, Mr Blair had confirmed the House of Commons would
have
“an
opportunity to debate the matter fully”.
640.
Mr Kennedy
asked for confirmation that, if that stage was
reached,
“incontrovertible
evidence” would “be presented publicly, preferably at the level
of
the United
Nations Security Council”. That would be “most important, not just
for
the
legitimacy of any action under international law, but for
maintaining a political
consensus”.
“… Some
people will be against taking action in respect of Iraq no matter
what
it does,
but I accept entirely that there are many people who are concerned
…
whether
that action will be sensible, whether it will have the backing of
international
law and
whether proper thought has been given to the consequences for the
wider
region …
[T]hose are questions that we shall consider very carefully
…
“… most
people would accept … Saddam Hussein does lead a despicable
regime,
that he is
a threat in respect of weapons of mass destruction and that it is
important
that we
deal with that threat …
“… it is
the case that Saddam Hussein poses a threat. That is why the
UN
resolutions
are there … [T]his is somebody who has a track record of
absolutely
extraordinary
aggression on his neighbours, on his own people, on everyone
that
he sees
advantage in being aggressive towards … That is why British pilots
are
still
flying over the No-Fly Zone in order to protect people in Iraq.
That is why the
inspectors
went in, could not do their job properly and then came
out.
“… in the
end we can all respond to concerns but we have to take decisions
on
them. I can
assure people that those decisions will be sensible and that the
House
will have a
proper opportunity to debate them before we act upon
them.
“I have
never taken the view that we support the US right or wrong … But I
do
believe …
that the relationship is special and … that it is a fundamental
part of
British
foreign policy and should remain so. All I can say is that in my
dealings with
the
Administration and with this President, we have found them
immensely open and
consultative,
and where they have acted they have acted not just with
consultation
but in what
I would regard as a sensible way.”
642.
Mr Douglas
Hogg (Conservative) asked Mr Blair to tell President Bush that
“many
in this
country are not yet persuaded that the threat posed by Saddam
Hussein is
sufficiently
great to justify military action, especially when the Middle East
is in such
a turbulent
state”.
643.
Mr Tam Dalyell
(Labour) asked whether President Chirac (of France) had
told
Mr Blair
that he had taken “the thuggish young Vice-President of Iraq”
[Saddam Hussein]
505