3.7 |
Development of UK strategy and options, 1 February to 7 March
2003
210.
The FCO aim
was to agree the text and tactics with the US in New York “in
the
course of
next week”, but not to “float” the ideas with other Council members
until after
Dr Blix’s
report to the Security Council on 14 February, although that might
depend
on events.
211.
Copies of the
letter were sent to Lord Goldsmith and to Mr Hoon’s Private
Office
as well
as to Sir Jeremy Greenstock and Sir Christopher Meyer.
212.
Lord
Goldsmith’s advice, that the key element of a second resolution
would be the
provision
of a sufficient link back to resolution 1441 to establish that the
Security Council
had
concluded Iraq had failed to take the final opportunity to disarm
provided by the
resolution,55
is
addressed in Section 5.
213.
Der
Spiegel published an
article on 10 February, entitled The Mirage
Project,
reporting
that French and German officials had been holding secret talks
aimed at
installing
a disarmament regime in Iraq monitored by aircraft patrolling Iraqi
airspace
and “thousands”
of armed UN peacekeepers to “secure a victory without
bullets”.56
214.
Mr Jonathan
Powell, Mr Blair’s Chief of Staff, sent a translation of the
article
to Mr Blair
suggesting that the UK needed to produce an ultimatum in a UN
resolution
along the
lines that:
•
Iraq was
not co-operating or disarming.
•
The
international community intended to ensure that resolution 1441
was
“implemented
in full”.
•
Iraq would
face serious consequences if by 28 February it did not accept
and
begin full
implementation of the following steps:
{{a
“No-Fly Zone covering the whole country”, patrolled by
international
aircraft;
{{an
international ground force to “enforce disarmament”,
comprising
an “international
coalition of the willing headed by a British general
with
approx
40,000 troops”;
{{a “UN
mandate for governance of Iraq while the international force is
there
making Iraq
a UN protectorate under a UN permanent co-ordinator”;
and
{{establishment
of a “special UN court of justice” to “punish
infringements
of the
resolutions and human rights infringements”.57
55
Letter
Adams to Grainger, 6 February 2003, ‘Iraq: Second
Resolution’.
56
Der
Spiegel, 10
February 2003, ‘Translation – Extract from an articled
entitled The Mirage
Project in
Der Spiegel, 10
February 2003, attached to Note (handwritten), Powell to PM,
[undated], [untitled].
57
Note
(handwritten) Powell to PM, [undated], [untitled], attaching Paper
‘UN Resolution: Ultimatum’.
219