The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

245. Mr Dowse concluded by underlining the importance of “very close co-ordination

at a time when so much public briefing material is in preparation on WMD – and Iraqi –

issues”.

246. On 6 March, Mr Blair published an article setting out why Iraq was still a

threat to the UK.

247. An article by Mr Blair, ‘Why Saddam is still a threat to Britain’, was published in the

Daily Express on 6 March.116

248. Mr Blair wrote that “we now have to face the fact that there are irresponsible states

which either have, or are actively seeking, biological, chemical and nuclear weapons”,

and that was a threat which President Bush had “rightly highlighted” in his State of the

Union speech on 29 January.

249. In relation to the threat posed by Iraq, Mr Blair wrote:

• We “know … from his own history that Saddam Hussein … has mass destruction

weapons and will use them …”

• The UN had “demanded” in 1991 “that its representatives should be allowed into

Iraq to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction and ensure he did not replace

them” because Saddam Hussein had “used chemical weapons repeatedly

against Iranian soldiers”, and had used them “against his own citizens when he

attacked Kurds in northern Iraq”.

• The UN weapons inspectors had “discovered and destroyed thousands of

chemical and biological weapons, including thousands of litres of anthrax and

48 missiles” before they had been “kicked out”.

• The inspectors were “convinced” that Saddam Hussein had “hidden other deadly

arsenals and the plants to manufacture more” but could not track them down

because of “almost daily obstruction”.

• It was important to “remain vigilant” about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein.

If he was not restrained, “a volatile situation in the region could easily become a

world crisis”.

• The fact that Saddam Hussein had been contained “for so long” did not mean

the threat had gone away, he was “continuing his chemical and biological

weapons programmes and … the long-range missiles to deliver them”.

250. Mr Blair concluded:

“How we act is a matter for discussion … [I]t is in the interest of all to face up to

these threats with determination and resolve …”

116 Daily Express, 6 March 2002, Why Saddam is still a threat to Britain, www.ukpressonline.co.uk.

58