The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

192.  In his extended interview on the BBC’s Breakfast with Frost programme on

26 January (see Section 3.6), Mr Blair set out in detail his position on Iraq.83

193.  Asked whether Dr Blix should be given more time, Mr Blair stated that the

inspectors had “to be given the time to do the job”, but there was “confusion” about

what that job was. The time they needed was to certify whether Saddam Hussein was

“fully co-operating or not”. Saddam Hussein had to provide information on “exactly what

weapons material” he had, “allowing the inspectors to inspect it, monitor it and shut it

down”. If they were not able to do that job, Saddam Hussein would have to be disarmed

by force. That should not take months, but Saddam Hussein was not co-operating.

194.  Pressed as to whether non-compliance rather than evidence of weapons of mass

destruction justified “a war”, Mr Blair replied that he “profoundly” disagreed with the idea

that a refusal to co-operate was of a “lesser order”. He added:

“… what we know is that he has this material … we know there is something like

350 tonnes of chemical warfare agent. We know there is something like 30,000

special munitions for the delivery of chemical and biological weapons.

“He hasn’t even told us where those old leftovers from 1998 are … we know … that

there is an elaborate process … of concealment …

“… [T]he people that the inspectors want to interview … are being told, by the Iraqi

authorities, they can only come for interviews with an Iraqi … minder, and only be

interviewed in certain places.

“And we know also from intelligence that these people’s families are being told that if

they co-operate and give any information at all they will be executed.

“… [I]f he fails to co-operate in being honest and he is pursuing a programme of

concealment, that is every bit as much a breach as finding, for example, a missile or

chemical agent.”

195.  Asked whether there would be “another dossier” setting out what UK intelligence

had discovered, Mr Blair stated:

“… we have the intelligence that says that Saddam has continued to develop these

weapons of mass destruction; that what he’s doing is using a whole lot of dual-use

facilities in order to manufacture chemical and biological weapons; and … that there

is an elaborate programme of concealment … forcing the inspectors to play a game

of hide and seek.”

196.  Asked if he had sufficient evidence to back action, Mr Blair replied:

“… I’ve got no doubt at all that he’s developing these weapons and that he poses a

threat but we made a choice to go down the UN route …

83  BBC News, 26 January 2003, Breakfast with Frost.

328