The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
469.
In an email to
Mr Scarlett on 17 September, Mr Powell
wrote:
“The
dossier is good and convincing for those who are prepared to be
convinced
“I have
only three points, none of which affect the way the document is
drafted
or presented
“First the
document does nothing to demonstrate a threat, let alone an
imminent
threat from
Saddam In other words it shows he has the means but it does
not
demonstrate
he has the motive to attack his neighbours let alone the west We
will
need to
make clear in launching the document that we do not claim to have
evidence
that he is
an imminent threat The case we are making is that he has continued
to
develop WMD
since 1998, and is in breach of UN resolutions The
international
community
has to enforce those resolutions if the UN is to be taken
seriously
“Second we
will be asked about connections with Al Qaida […]
“Third, if
I was Saddam I would take a party of western journalists to the Ibn
Sina
factory or
one of the others pictured in the document to demonstrate there is
nothing
there How
do we close off that avenue to him in advance?”231
470.
In his
response Mr Scarlett stated:
•
A note was
being prepared on Iraq and Al Qaida.
•
The dossier
stressed the problems [in identifying prohibited activities],
posed
by dual-use
facilities and the ease of concealment. That “applied to
trained
inspectors
let alone journalists”.232
471.
Mr Campbell
commented:
“I think we
risk complicating the issue if we get into links with Al Qaida The
dossier,
and the
debate in Parliament, are explicitly about Iraq/WMD On the question
of
sites, we
should in our briefing make clear that we assume he will sanitise
one
of them for
the media, and pull some stunt, but remain robust re our
judgements
Re the
‘imminent threat’, point, that is why TB’s foreword sets out ‘the
case I am
making’.
John, I will show him your revisions and hopefully get the Foreword
signed
472.
In a further
email on 18 September, Mr Powell emphasised that he was
“not
suggesting
any changes to the dossier, just flagging up points where we are
going
to need
to mould expectations in advance of publication and on
publication”.234
231
Email
Powell to Scarlett, 17 September 2002, ‘Dossier’.
232
Email
Scarlett to Powell, 18 September 2002, ‘Re Dossier’.
233
Email
Campbell to Scarlett and Powell, 18 September 2002, ‘Re:
Dossier’.
234
Email
Powell to Campbell and Scarlett, 18 September 2002, ‘Re:
Dossier’.
202