3.4 |
Development of UK strategy and options, late July to 14 September
2002
25.
A manuscript
note records that the papers were seen by
Mr Blair.7
26.
The FCO
advised that achieving an EU consensus on Iraq would be
difficult.
27.
Sir John
Holmes advised that it would be difficult to persuade France
to
support
military action but “not totally impossible”.
28.
There was a
striking congruence between the conditions Mr Blair had
raised
in his
discussions with President Bush and the conditions identified by
France
and other
allies to help secure support – UN legitimacy; public presentation
of
credible
evidence on WMD; consultation, including on “day after” questions;
and
a visible
attempt to revive the MEPP.
29.
Following the
meeting on 23 July, Mr Straw was asked to provide advice on
the
positions
of countries in the region and the background on UN
inspections.8
30.
The FCO
provided advice on the attitudes of EU partners to military action
against
on 30
July.9
It stated
that the JIC would be producing an Assessment of the attitudes
of
regional
governments.
31.
In relation to
EU partners, a short paper was provided based on the advice
of
FCO posts.
The UK had deliberately tried to keep Iraq off the EU agenda
because
“debate
would be futile and would merely expose differences”. That
restraint was
“increasingly
hard to sustain” because of speculation about military action.
Achieving an
EU
consensus on military action would be “difficult”, but a number of
factors might help.
These
included:
•
“achieving
some sort of UN legitimacy, preferably … a new resolution;
a
real effort
to get the inspectors in and public presentation of credible
WMD
evidence”;
•
“genuine
consultation” by the US “before … action starts”. That would “need
to
cover the
day‑after questions”; and
•
“a visible
effort by the US to revive the MEPP”.
32.
As part of the
preparation of that advice, Sir John Holmes, British
Ambassador
to France,
addressed the attitude of the new French Government led
by
President Jacques
Chirac.
33.
In a telegram
about France‑US relations on 24 July, Sir John advised that
the
French
Government wanted a better dialogue with the US and that “for EU
and
7
Manuscript
comment Rycroft on Minute Rycroft to Prime Minister, 31 July 2002,
‘Iraq: Background
Papers’.
8
Letter
Rycroft to
McDonald, 23 July 2002, ‘Iraq Prime Minister’s Meeting, 23 July:
Follow Up’.
9
Letter
Davies to Rycroft, 30 July 2002, ‘Iraq: Attitudes of Regional
States and EU Partners’ attaching
Paper
‘Military Action against Iraq: Attitudes of EU
Countries’.
97