The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
203.
Speaking after
the adoption of the resolution, Sir Jeremy Greenstock stated
that
the
resolution “did not seek to resolve every issue”; and that the
functions of UNMOVIC
and the
IAEA “as they relate to the complete disarmament of Iraq under
previous
resolutions”
would need to be taken up “in due course”.111
204.
Sir Jeremy
added that the UK:
“…
continues to see a role for both bodies in the eventual
confirmation of
disarmament
and perhaps, if the Council agrees, in the longer term
monitoring
and verification.”
205.
On
23 May, Mr Howard sent Mr Hoon’s Private Office an
update on plans for the
ISG and a
draft letter to No.10.112
206.
Mr Howard
reported that there was “considerable media interest” in the
efforts to
find WMD
and there had been “numerous PQs [Parliamentary Questions] on this
and
the
functioning of the ISG”.
207.
Mr Howard
added that there was:
“… growing
pressure for the Government to provide an assessment of how
the
WMD
findings match the statements made in their September 2002 Dossier
and
No.10 have
made accommodating statements on this: the US are understood
to
be
undertaking their own ‘post-mortem’ exercise in this area. There
have been
problems
that US briefings … are not properly cleared with us
…”
208.
Mr Howard
stated that there was a need for urgent work to develop a coherent
PR
strategy
for the ISG work and that he would provide further
advice.
209.
Mr Watkins
wrote to Sir David Manning on 27 May reporting that work on
SSE
continued
and would be enhanced by the ISG, but the timelines for
establishing the ISG
210.
Mr Watkins
explained:
“At
present, Coalition Forces are working from a list of over 500 sites
potentially
linked to
the development, production and storage of WMD,
overwhelming[ly]
concentrated
in the US area of operations. As at 22 May, Coalition forces
had
initiated
investigations into 122 of these sites, plus a further 55 sites
identified
since the
conflict began. The most promising finds so far relate to mobile
facilities.
The Cabinet
Office is receiving daily updates from the DIS ROCKINGHAM
cell
on all SSE
activities.”
111 UN
Security Council, ‘4761st Meeting, 22 May 2003’,
S/PV.4761.
112
Minute DCDI
to PS/Secretary of State [MOD], 23 May 2003, ‘Iraq: The Search
for WMD’.
113
Letter
Watkins to Manning, 27 May 2003, ‘Iraq WMD:
Update’.
466