3.5 |
Development of UK strategy and options, September to November 2002
–
the
negotiation of resolution 1441
had
“aggressively pursued weapons of mass destruction, even while
inspectors were
inside the
country”. The world had learned “an essential lesson” from that
experience:
“…
inspections will not result in a disarmed Iraq unless the Iraqi
regime fully
co‑operates.
Inspectors do not have the power to disarm an unwilling regime.
They
can only
confirm that a government has decided to disarm itself. History has
shown
that when
Iraqi leaders stall inspections and impede the progress, it means
they
have
something to hide.”
871.
President Bush
warned Iraq that “the old game of cheat and retreat”
would
“no longer
be tolerated”; and:
“Any act of
delay or defiance will be an additional breach of Iraq’s
international
obligations,
and a clear signal that the Iraqi regime has once again
abandoned
the path
of voluntary compliance.”
872.
Setting out
the US standpoint, President Bush stated:
“With the
passage of this resolution, the world must not lapse into
unproductive
debates
over whether specific instances of Iraqi non‑compliance are
serious. Any
Iraqi
non‑compliance is serious, because such bad faith will show that
Iraq has no
intention
of disarming …
“America
will be making only one determination: is Iraq meeting the terms of
the
Security
Council resolution or not? The United States has agreed to discuss
any
material
breach with the Security Council, but without jeopardising our
freedom
of action
to defend our country. If Iraq fails to comply, the United States
and other
nations
will disarm Saddam Hussein.”
873.
President Bush
stated that the US would support the UN inspections
teams,
including
with “information that can help identify illegal activities and
materials in Iraq”,
and called
on other nations and “patriotic Iraqis” to do the same. Saddam
Hussein could
not “hide
his weapons of mass destruction … without the co‑operation of
hundreds and
thousands
of Iraqis – those who work in the weapons programmes and those who
are
responsible
for concealing the weapons”.
874.
Framing action
on Iraq squarely in the context of the threat from
international
terrorism,
President Bush stated:
“Americans
recognise what is at stake. In fighting a war on terror, we are
determined
to oppose
every source of catastrophic harm that threatens our country, our
friends,
and our
allies … And we oppose a uniquely dangerous regime – a regime that
has
harboured
terrorists and can supply terrorists with weapons of mass
destruction;
a regime
that has built such terrible weapons and has used them to kill
thousands;
a brutal
regime with a history of both reckless ambition and reckless
miscalculation.
355