The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
•
the timing
of possible military action. If a decision was taken to use
military
action,
that would not take place before late 2002/early 2003.
151.
Mr Blair
said that it was important to go back to the United Nations and to
present
that as an
opportunity for Saddam Hussein to co‑operate.
152.
Sir David
Manning also recorded that, following a further conversation
with
President
Bush, Mr Blair had concluded that President Bush wanted to
build a coalition,
and that
had led him to dismiss pressure from some on the American
right.
153.
The record
contained no reference to any discussion of the conditions which
would
be
necessary for military action.
154.
Mr Blair
told Cabinet on 11 April that regime change in Iraq was greatly to
be
desired but
no “plans” for achieving that had been tabled during his
discussions with
President
Bush at Crawford.79
155.
A minute from
Mr Powell on 11 April suggested to Mr Blair:
“… in
particular we need to bank his agreement that our military can be
involved in
joint
planning once they have got pa[s]t the conceptual
stage.”80
156.
A letter from
Sir Christopher Meyer to Sir David Mannning on 15 May
indicated that
Mr Blair
and President Bush had also discussed the first quarter of 2003 as
a timeframe
for action
against Saddam Hussein.81
157.
Mr Powell
told the Inquiry that he did not “recall … any sort of discussion
of military
158.
Asked what
Mr Blair had told him about his discussions with President
Bush at
Crawford,
Mr Hoon replied:
“I don’t
think he told me anything directly. I saw a record of the meeting
…”83
159.
Subsequently
Mr Hoon stated:
“My
recollection of those events is that … we were a little
disappointed after
Crawford
that we hadn’t immediately received a request from the United
States
to send
someone to Tampa.”84
160.
Mr Blair
told the Inquiry that he had told President Bush the UK would be
with him
“in
confronting and dealing with this threat”.85
79
Cabinet
Conclusions, 11 April 2002.
80
Minute
Powell to Prime Minister, 11 April 2002, ‘Follow up to
Bush’.
81
Letter
Meyer to Manning, 15 May 2002, ‘Your visit to
Washington’.
82
Public
hearing, 18 January 2010, page 24.
83
Public
hearing, 19 January 2010, pages 29‑30.
84
Public
hearing, 19 January 2010, page 35.
85
Public
hearing, 29 January 2010, page 43.
200