The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
implied
involvement in Phase IV.407
If so, he
asked where the UK would want to be. After
highlighting
some of the advantages and disadvantages of the North and South,
he
asked
whether the UK would be prepared to be involved in operations
against Baghdad.
1027.
The MOD has
been unable to locate any response to this request.408
Resolution
1441 was adopted on 8 November 2002.409
The content
of the resolution and the Explanations of Vote provided by the
members of
the
Security Council are addressed in Section 3.5.
1028.
The US
asked the UK and other allies for military support on 15
November.
1029.
The US
formally requested UK and other allies’ support on 15 November on
the
grounds
that “planning for potential military action is both necessary to
increase the
pressure on
Iraq to comply with the will of the international community and
prudent in the
event it
again refuses to do”.410
1030.
The US
request, which was handed to Mr Hoon on 18 November,
included:
•
“full
access, basing and overflight at bases in Britain, Diego Garcia and
Cyprus”;
•
an armoured
division (minus);
•
special
operations forces;
•
“Royal Navy
and Air Force units, including maritime patrols and
aircraft”;
•
explosive
ordnance disposal;
•
“Financial/material
resources for a military campaign and for
post‑conflict
efforts”;
•
“constabulary
forces and humanitarian assistance as part of post‑conflict
stability
efforts”;
and
•
“nuclear/biological/chemical
defense assets”.
1031.
Mr Hoon
replied to the US request on 26 November.411
407
Minute
DCJO(Ops) to ACDS(Ops), 11 November 2002, ‘COS COA Paper: Military
Strategic Guidance’.
408
Letter MOD
to Iraq Inquiry, 1 November 2012, [untitled].
409
UN Security
Council resolution 1441 (2002).
410
Letter
Williams to McDonald, 18 November 2002, ‘Iraq – US Request for UK
Support’ attaching Paper,
15 November
2002, ‘Request for UK Support’.
411
Letter Hoon
to Farish, 26 November 2002, [untitled] attaching Paper [undated],
‘United Kingdom
Response to
United States Government Talking Points delivered on 18 November
2002’.
330