Global Policy Forum

Blair's Iraq Dossier Gets Mixed Response

Print
Agence France Presse
September 24, 2002

British Prime Minister Tony Blair accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Tuesday of hiding weapons of mass destruction, as he pressed the House of Commons to back a US bid to topple the Iraqi regime.


Unveiling a much-anticipated report, he warned Iraq could deploy chemical and biological weapons in 45 minutes and might be only year or two from possessing a nuclear bomb. The White House welcomed the document, which it said contained "frightening" information.

"This reinforces the very sizable doubts that people around the world have about whether Saddam Hussein has any interest in peace," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. But the report failed to convince allies and analysts. Military and political analysts said it had propaganda value but contained little new information.

Iraqi presidential adviser Amr Saadi said the claim that Iraq could be as little as a year or two away from having a nuclear bomb was "absolute nonsense". And Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri said Baghdad was ready to accept British weapons experts to verify London's claims.

French President Jacques Chirac said France opposed any new UN resolution that would allow the use of force against Iraq, adding that only a minority of states would back such a resolution.

Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji warned of "severe consequences" if military action was launched against Iraq without a UN mandate.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, snubbed by the United States for his anti-war stance on Iraq, was set on Tuesday to discuss the issue with Blair, who could help mend strained German ties with Washington. The German government, which has ruled out participating in any military action against Iraq with or without UN approval, refused immediate comment on Blair's report, noting only that Schroeder was flying to London to discuss the matter.

Blair told the British parliament Iraq's pursuit of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons was "active, detailed and growing" and that it was seeking uranium for nuclear weapons from Africa. "The policy of containment is not working," he said. The Blair file said that if Baghdad obtained fissile material "and other essential components from foreign sources... Iraq could produce a nuclear weapon in between one and two years".

It said Saddam Hussein had continued producing chemical and biological agents and has military plans to use them in weapons, including against Iraq's own Shia Muslim population. Saddam has a programme to develop missiles capable of reaching Cyprus, where Britain has military bases; NATO allies Greece and Turkey; and Iraq's neighbours in the Middle East, including Israel, the document said.

Iraq had up to 20 al-Hussein missiles, with a range of 650 kilometres (400 miles), capable of carrying chemical or biological warheads, it added. Saddam's regime had tried to obtain technology and materials for use in nuclear weapons and has developed mobile laboratories for military use, it said. Iraq dismissed the charges as baseless and biased. "Blair is against Iraq so all his claims are baseless," Culture Minister Hamad Yussef Hammadi said.

Sabri, speaking in Cairo, said: "If there is a treasure of evidence on the alleged existence of these weapons, then we are ready to facilitate a visit by British experts so that they can tell the world where these weapons are." Saddam Hussein's adviser Saadi said Iraq would give arms inspectors "unfettered access" to suspected weapons sites, including those listed by Blair.

The White House chided critics who said the British study lacked firm new evidence of a "smoking gun". "The problem with smoking guns is they only smoke after they're fired and we don't want to let Saddam Hussein fire any more weapons," spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Blair reaffirmed his support for US President George W. Bush's drive for a UN resolution threatening military action if Baghdad did not comply with new inspections. Fleischer downplayed Blair's focus on disarming Iraq, saying it did not reflect differences over the US push for "regime change".

Blair is the European leader who most strongly backs Bush, but while he agreed on the need for regime change, he told the Commons the focus must be on disarmament.

French President Jacques Chirac said his government had indications of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction but insisted weapons inspectors must still provide proof of Iraq's weapons programme. "On these questions, we obviously have indications although no proof, and this is, incidentally, one of the reasons why we insist firmly that the inspectors return" to Iraq, Chirac said after a Asia-Europe (ASEM) summit in Copenhagen. Paris opposed any UN resolution allowing use of force against Baghdad, suggesting only a minority of states would back such a resolution, he said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said Moscow acknowledged the use of force against Iraq was a possibility but said it was the last of all preferred options.

Many experts said the charges in the 55-page British government report were grave, but none were new and the case had not been made for the imminent military action Washington wanted.

The head of the Research and Information Group on Peace and Security in Brussels, Bernard Adam, said the report essentially collated previous information given in small doses by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies and the CIA. "In all these reports, including this latest one, there is no concrete evidence," he said. "I see no sufficiently strong argument for a declaration of war on Iraq."

Blair appeared to be trying to rally sceptical EU partners and other allies to the need for force to remove Saddam Hussein from power. But if his aim was to persuade other governments that the case was so compelling that UN authorisation was unnecessary, he came up short.

China, which has veto power on the UN Security Council along with Britain, France, Russia and the United States was particularly strong in warning Washington and London.

While insisting Iraq should comply with weapons inspections, Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, who also attended the ASEM summit, said: "We also ask that Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected. Without authority or mandate from the United Nations or without firm evidence any actions will lead to severe consequences."


More Articles on the Threat of US War Against Iraq
More Information on the Iraq Crisis
More Information on Sanctions Against Iraq

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.


 

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.