The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
714.
Sir Nigel
Sheinwald commented to Mr Blair:
“It is
going to be difficult to get the sort of interim ISG report we want
… I’ve asked
the FCO +
SIS to press on their channels. I’ll talk to Condi [Rice], and you
should
raise again
with the President next week.”401
715.
On
8 March, Mr Scarlett sent Mr Duelfer “nuggets” from
the September ISG Interim
Report for
inclusion in the forthcoming report.402
Mr Scarlett
explained:
“Without
knowing the details of your current draft it is difficult to judge
where these
‘nuggets’
would fit in. But I am confident their inclusion will:
•
establish the
context for the latest developments which your functional
teams
are
preparing for inclusion in your new report;
•
help to set
out clearly where the ISG have established Iraqi breaches
of
UNSCRs;
•
explain the
current state of the ISG’s key, most important lines of
enquiry.
“They do
not require you or your report to come to conclusions about these
lines of
enquiry.
You explained your approach on this point when you were in London
last
month and,
as you know, it is one with which we agree.”
716.
The material
proposed for inclusion by Mr Scarlett included:
•
BW. Quotes
from Iraqi scientists to the effect that Iraq was still actively
pursuing
ricin for
weaponisation and that as of March 2003 it was being developed
into
stable
liquid to deliver as aerosol in small rockets, cluster bombs and
smoke
generators.
•
CW. The
Iraqi declaration in December 2002 that it had imported 11,500
tonnes
of white
phosphorous, a potential precursor for nerve and blister
agents.
•
Nuclear.
Remarks attributed to Mr Tariq Aziz (Iraqi Deputy Prime
Minister from
1979 to
2003) and Mr al-Huwaish on the strategic intentions of the
Iraqi regime.
•
Missile.
Material that had already been used by the BBC
on the
designs for long-
range
missiles using SA-2/Volga engines.
•
Sanitisation
and destruction. Further material on the deliberate sanitisation
and
destruction
witnessed by the ISG to help reinforce the message on the
difficult
operational
environment.
717.
Mr Scarlett
concluded:
“The above
is designed to point you to particular areas in the classified
September
[Interim]
Report which appear to be of relevance to your work now. They
are
401
Manuscript
comment Sheinwald to Prime Minister on Minute Scarlett to
Sheinwald, 4 March 2004,
‘Iraq: The
ISG’.
402
Minute
Scarlett to Duelfer, 8 March 2004, ‘ISG Report’.
564