The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
always
realise how comments intended by US politicians for US domestic
audiences
seriously
damaged the position of their friends in other countries”. In a
conversation
with
President Chirac on 12 March, Mr Annan had “found him
‘tough but not closed’ to
possible
compromises”.
649.
On the same
day Mr Straw informed Mr Igor Ivanov, the Russian Foreign
Minister,
that the UK
was about to table a revised resolution, omitting the paragraph
from the
7 March
draft which contained the deadline of 17 March for Iraq to
demonstrate that it
had taken
the final opportunity offered in resolution 1441 to comply with its
obligations.255
650.
In a
telephone call with President Bush on 12 March Mr Blair
proposed
only that
the US and UK should continue to seek a compromise in the UN,
while
confirming
that he knew it would not happen. He would say publicly that
France
had
prevented a resolution.
651.
Much of the
discussion focused on managing UK politics.
652.
Mr Blair
recognised that it would not be possible to agree a
compromise
in the
Security Council before 17 March and that the US would not extend
the
deadline.
653.
Mr Blair
sought President Bush’s help in handling the debate in the
House
of Commons
planned for Tuesday 18 March, where he would face a
major
challenge
to win a vote supporting military action.
654.
Mr Blair
wanted:
•
to avoid a
gap between the end of the negotiating process and the
Parliamentary
vote in which France or another member of the Security
Council
might table a resolution that attracted a Council majority;
and
•
US
statements on the publication of a Road Map on the Middle East
Peace
Process and
the need for a further resolution on a post-conflict
Iraq.
655.
On the
afternoon of 12 March Mr Blair and President Bush discussed
the latest
position
and discussions with Chile and Mexico.256
656.
The
conversation and discussions between Mr Straw and Secretary Powell
about
US concerns
about UK diplomatic activity are addressed in more detail in
Section 3.8.
255
Telegram 46
FCO London to Moscow, 12 March 2003, ‘Iraq: Foreign Secretary’s
Conversation with
Russian
Foreign Minister, 12 March’.
256
Letter
Rycroft to McDonald, 12 March 2003, ‘Iraq: Prime Minister’s
Telephone Conversation with
President
Bush, 12 March’.
118