Memo writer faces Iraq inquiry
The armed forces memorial: 179 British troops lost their lives in Iraq
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"Clever" British and American diplomacy produced an equivocal resolution on Saddam Hussein where agreement did not exist, Sir Jeremy Greenstock has claimed. |  |
Gordon Brown's political instincts were working well when he attempted to keep the Iraq inquiry private. It took less than half an hour before uncomfortable truths began to emerge. |  |
Monday, 30, Nov 2009 04:44
By Ian Dunt
The man behind a memo which documented George's Bush's determination to invade Iraq answered questions at the Iraq inquiry today.
David Manning, Tony Blair's foreign policy adviser, authored the so-called 'Manning Memo' which summarised a key meeting between Tony Blair and George Bush in January 2003.
The confidential memo, which was later seen by the New York Times, documents how President Bush told the prime minister he would invade Iraq regardless of the second UN resolution or whether arms inspectors failed to find weapons in the country.
The memo stated that the two leaders were candid in admitting they did not believe chemical, biological or nuclear weapons would be found.
The president raised three possible ways of prompting a war, the most controversial of which involved flying US reconnaissance crafts over Iraq with UN colours, hoping Saddam Hussein would fire on them.
The inquiry refused to be dragged into legal issues today. It has set aside time for legal matters in the new year.
Sir David said the President had raised the Iraq issue just three days after September 11th. Throughut 2001, Mr Blair discouraged such a move, but he later focused his efforts on ensuring the US went down the UN route instead of handling the matter unilaterally.
But where the British saw disarmament of Iraq as their main priority, and regime change a second, the Americans were focused on regime change, with disarmament taking the back seat, Sir David said.
Sir David faced the inquiry a week after his Sir Christopher Meyer, former ambassador to the US, who suggested Mr Blair's views were "tightened" after he spent a day with the president at his ranch in 2002.
His speech the next day saw the former prime minister use the phrase "regime change" for the first time, Sir Christopher said.
The session comes as serious questions are asked about a legal memo from the government's chief law officers stressing the war would be illegal eight months before the invasion took place.
The Daily Mail alleged that a previously undisclosed memo by attorney general Lord Goldsmith saying the war would breach international law saw him being frozen out of Cabinet for fear the government's front bench team found out about it.
Lord Falconer and Baroness Morgan then pinned down Lord Goldsmith and forced him to change his mind, according to the newspaper.
Mr Blair denied the reports today.