The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
warfare
capabilities, was determined to preserve and if possible enhance
its
capabilities,
including at some point in the future a nuclear capability, and
was
pursuing an
active and successful policy of deception and concealment. That,
and
the JIC
Assessments of whether and in what circumstances Iraq might use
those
capabilities,
is addressed in Section 4.
945.
Iraq’s
capability was judged to be limited and its chemical and
biological
weapons did
not pose a direct or imminent threat to the UK. Iraq was judged
to
be most
likely to use its weapons as a last resort in response to a
military attack
which
threatened the survival of the regime.
946.
Mr Blair’s
statements on the risk of terrorists willing and able to
use
weapons of
mass destruction being able to obtain them from Iraq are
addressed
in Section
7.
947.
Saddam
Hussein’s regime had the potential to proliferate material
and
know-how to
terrorist groups, but it was not judged likely to do
so.
948.
Mr Blair’s
and Mr Straw’s statements claimed that the UK Government
was
acting on
behalf of the international community “to uphold the authority of
the
Security
Council”.
949.
The Charter
of the United Nations vests responsibility for the
maintenance
of peace
and security in the Security Council.
950.
On 18
March, the majority of the Security Council’s members were
not
persuaded
that the inspections process, and the diplomatic efforts
surrounding
it, had
reached the end of the road. They did not agree that the time had
come
to terminate
inspections and resort to force.
951.
In the
absence of a majority in the Security Council in support of
military
action at
that point, the UK was undermining the authority of the Security
Council.
952.
Lord Williams
of Mostyn set out the Government’s position in the House of
Lords,
stating:
“Ours is a stark choice: we stand our troops down and turn back or
we hold firm
to the
course that we have set. We must hold firm.”333
953.
Lord
Strathclyde (Conservative) agreed that “to turn about now would be
to
court
incalculable future danger in the face of the greater emerging
threat to our
954.
Baroness
Williams (Liberal Democrat), referring to Mr Cook’s
resignation statement
on 17
March, commented that there was “more than one set of opinions
about how
333
House of
Lords, Official
Report, 18 March
2003, columns 138-142.
334
House of
Lords, Official
Report, 18 March
2003, column 146.
570