3.7 |
Development of UK strategy and options, 1 February to 7 March
2003
163.
Asked if he
was saying that there was already an authorisation for
war,
Mr Blair responded:
“No, what I
am saying is … In the resolution [1441] … we said that Iraq … had
…
a final
opportunity to comply.
“The duty
of compliance was defined as full co-operation with the UN
inspectors.
The
resolution … say[s] any failure to co-operate fully is a breach of
this resolution
and serious
consequences i.e. action, would follow … [W]e then also put in
that
resolution
that there will be a further discussion in the Security Council.
But the clear
understanding
was that if the inspectors say that Iraq is not complying and
there
is a breach
… then we have to act.
“… if
someone … says … I accept there’s a breach … but I’m issuing a
veto
I think
that would be unreasonable … I don’t think that’s what will happen.
I think
that …
if the inspectors do end up in a situation where they’re
saying there is not
compliance
by Iraq, then I think a second resolution will issue.”
164.
Asked whether
he agreed it was “important to get France, Russia and
Germany
on board”,
Mr Blair replied, “Yes … That’s what I am trying to
get.”
165.
Asked if he
would “give an undertaking that he wouldn’t go to war without
their
agreement”,
Mr Blair replied:
“…
supposing in circumstances where there plainly was breach … and
everyone
else wished
to take action, one of them put down a veto. In those circumstances
it
would be
unreasonable.
“Then I
think it [not to act] would be wrong because otherwise you couldn’t
uphold
the UN.
Because you would have passed your resolution and then you’d have
failed
to act on
it.”
166.
Asked whether
it was for the UK to judge what was “unreasonable”,
Mr Blair
envisaged
that would be in circumstances where the inspectors, not the UK,
had
reported to
the Council that they could not do their job.
167.
Asked if the
US and UK went ahead without a UN resolution would any
other
country
listen to the UN in the future, Mr Blair replied that there
was “only one set of
circumstances”
in which that would happen. Resolution 1441 “effectively” said that
if the
inspectors
said they could not do their job, a second resolution would issue:
“If someone
then …
vetoes wrongly, what do we do?”
207