3.8 |
Development of UK strategy and options, 8 to 20 March
2003
would also
come with us. But Bush said he was already putting enormous
pressure
on Mexico.
He said he had also been twisting Lagos’ arm …
“Bush not
happy. Bush said Saddam was very adept at exploiting weakness and
Blix
was weak.
These countries need to see that we want to do this peacefully. He
wants
the vote to
go through but not on an unreasonable basis.
“TB said
the public opinion problem stemmed from people feeling the US
wanted
a war.
We have to put up the genuine tests of disarmament, show the
determination
to try to
do this peacefully.
“Bush said
he had never come across a situation where the dividing line
between
success and
failure was so narrow. He said he wanted it done peacefully, or
any
other way.
His tone was very different to TB’s. Bush was talking the
diplomatic talk
while
clearly very irritated by the whole thing. His worry was that we
were negotiating
with
ourselves, that we got a resolution with a timeframe, everything we
want, and
we get
nothing for it. He said he couldn’t believe Chirac said he had the
Africans in
the bag. ‘I
can’, said TB. ‘I have a lot of experience of them.’
“He [Bush]
was clearly aware of how tough things were getting for TB. He said
if
the swing
countries didn’t vote with us ‘my last choice is for your
Government to
go down.
That is the absolute last thing I want to have happen. I would
rather go it
alone than
have your Government fall.’ ‘I appreciate that’, said TB. ‘I really
mean
that’ said
Bush. TB said it was also important that he understood that he
really
believed in
what they were trying to do. Bush – ‘I know that but I am not going
to
see your
Government fall on this.’
“TB said
‘I’ve got our troops there too. If I can’t get this through
Parliament, we fall,
and that’s
not exactly the regime change I want. We have to work out what
Chile and
Mexico
need.’
“They
agreed to speak again to Lagos and to Fox. TB said we were in
high-risk,
high-reward
territory. Bush said he was being eroded domestically by
inactivity.
He also
said he felt the hardest part would be after Saddam. Then Bush did
a
number on
the changes in the Arab world that could follow.
“TB said
the biggest concern in not going with the UN was the lack of
support
if things
went wrong. Tommy Franks [General Franks, Commander in Chief
US
Central
Command (CENTCOM)] had said ninety per cent of precision bombs
are
precise.
That leaves ten per cent.
“But Bush
was left in no doubt TB would be with him when the time
came.
“Bush said
‘I’m not going to let you down. Hang on in there buddy. You
are
doing great.’
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