The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
836.
Mr Blair
stated that Iraq would continue to be discussed in Cabinet,
“including
in due time
the military options”. The Government must “keep its options open
in
responding
to future developments” after a resolution was
achieved.
837.
The
negotiations on the draft resolution are addressed in Section
3.5.
838.
The MOD
continued to argue that keeping open the option of a
land
contribution
and being able to influence the US planning process
required
a clearer
statement of the UK position.
839.
Mr Johnson
asked Mr Hoon on 25 October to note the “increasing difficulty
of
keeping
options open” because:
•
The US
could not “continue much longer with the uncertainty” over the
UK
contribution.
•
A UK
contribution on the scale of Package 3 would “cease to be viable
within the
current US
timetable on or around 31 October if no public acknowledgement
is
made” of
the need for preparatory work on the availability of
Reserves.336
840.
Mr Johnson
also asked Mr Hoon to consider the “need to re‑establish with
the US
at the
highest level whether their planning timetable [was] likely to
change”.
841.
Mr Johnson
advised that there might be constitutional difficulties in Turkey
over
hosting
foreign forces in the absence of a UN resolution. It seemed
“increasingly likely”
that the
“substantial” US forces would be committed to the North, and that
they might
“wish to
exercise overall leadership there”. Uncertainty about the UK
contribution
complicated
the issues for the US and limited the UK’s ability to influence the
developing
plan.
Gen Franks remained “wedded to a UK role, not least as a
possible framework for
integrating
contributions from other potential coalition members”.
842.
Adm Boyce
would raise questions about the US timetable with Gen Myers
and
there might
be “a case for following up at a political level”. But, unless the
US accepted
later
dates, a decision to permit preparatory action on Reserves would be
needed if UK
options
were not to be closed off.
843.
A meeting for
Mr Hoon to discuss the issues with Adm Boyce had been
arranged
for 28
October.
844.
Mr Watkins
commented to Mr Hoon that there were potential tensions
between the
military
and inspection timetables; and that there was “as yet … little
irritation with our
fence
sitting at senior military level in the US”.337
336
Minute
Johnson to PS/Secretary of State [MOD], 25 October 2002, ‘Iraq:
Sitrep’.
337
Manuscript
comment Watkins on Minute Johnson to PS/Secretary of State [MOD],
25 October 2002,
‘Iraq:
Sitrep’.
304