The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
907.
Mr Blair
had “felt things had gone about as well as they could have done,
but still
felt they
[the US] were doing the right thing in the wrong way, and just
wished they could
improve the
way they put their case to the world”.
908.
In their
press conference President Bush and Mr Blair stated clearly
that time
was running
out for Saddam Hussein to disarm peacefully; but neither stated
a
commitment
to securing a second resolution. That left their position
ambiguous.
909.
In the press
conference following the meeting President Bush expressed
his
appreciation
for Mr Blair’s “vision”, his “willingness to lead” and: “Most
importantly …
his
understanding that after September 11th, 2001, the world changed:
that we face
a common
enemy.”295
President
Bush also stated that he trusted Mr Blair’s
judgement
and
appreciated his wisdom.
910.
Mr Blair
stated that it was essential to mobilise international support and
the
international
community to deal with the linked threats of international
terrorism and
weapons of
mass destruction. That was “essential for the future peace and
security
and prosperity
of the world”.
911.
In the
questions that followed, President Bush said twice that the timing
of
a decision
on Iraq would be “weeks, not months” and that was also
Mr Blair’s view.
He added
that the US would resist “any attempt to drag the process on for
months”.
He had
gone to the United Nations asking it to show that it had “the
capacity to keep the
peace”. If
the UN decided to pass a second resolution “it would be welcomed”
if it was
“yet
another signal that we’re intent upon disarming Saddam Hussein”:
“But 1441 gives
us the
authority to move without any second resolution.” Secretary
Powell’s presentation
to the UN
would “make it clear” that Saddam was “fooling the world, or trying
to fool the
world”. He
subsequently added: “Saddam Hussein would like nothing more than to
use
a terrorist
network to attack and kill …”
912.
Mr Blair
did not answer a question asking if he had asked President Bush to
secure
a second
resolution. He stated that the judgement had to be that Saddam
Hussein was
“not
co‑operating with the inspectors, and therefore is in breach of the
UN resolution”.
That was
why time was “running out”.
913.
Asked if there
was a link between Saddam Hussein and those who had
attacked
the US on
11 September 2001, President Bush replied: “I can’t make that
claim.”
914.
President Bush
and Mr Blair both emphasised that Saddam Hussein had
played
games for
12 years, and that he was still playing games. He had to co‑operate
with the
inspectors
and demonstrate he was disarming. If not, he would be disarmed by
force.
295
The White
House, 31 January 2003, President
Bush Meets with Prime Minister Blair.
166