Fwd: [ NOLA_C3_Discussion] The Smkoing Gun

[Guest guest]

The White House memo

 

Published: 2 Feb 2006

By: Gary Gibbon

 

Revealed: Bush and Blair discussed using American Spyplane in UN colours to

lure Saddam into war.

 

Channel 4 News tonight reveals extraordinary details of George Bush and Blair's pre-war meeting in January 2003 at which they discussed plans to

begin military action on March 10th 2003, irrespective of whether the United

Nations had passed a new resolution authorising the use of force.

 

Channel 4 News has seen minutes from that meeting, which took place in the

White House on 31 January 2003. The two leaders discussed the possibility of

securing further UN support, but President Bush made it clear that he had

already decided to go to war. The details are contained in a new version of

the book 'Lawless World' written by a leading British human rights lawyer,

Philippe Sands QC.

 

President Bush said that:

 

" The US would put its full weight behind efforts to get another resolution

and would 'twist arms' and 'even threaten'. But he had to say that if

ultimately we failed, military action would follow anyway.''

 

Prime Minister Blair responded that he was: " solidly with the President and

ready to do whatever it took to disarm Saddam. "

 

But Mr Blair said that: " a second Security Council resolution would provide

an insurance policy against the unexpected, and international cover,

including with the Arabs. "

 

Mr Sands' book says that the meeting focused on the need to identify

evidence that Saddam had committed a material breach of his obligations

under the existing UN Resolution 1441. There was concern that insufficient

evidence had been unearthed by the UN inspection team, led by Dr Hans Blix.

Other options were considered.

 

President Bush said: " The US was thinking of flying U2 reconnaissance

aircraft with fighter cover over Iraq, painted in UN colours. If Saddam

fired on them, he would be in breach. "

 

He went on: " It was also possible that a defector could be brought out who

would give a public presentation about Saddams WMD, and there was also a

small possibility that Saddam would be assassinated. "

 

Speaking to Channel 4 News, Mr Sands said:

 

" I think no one would be surprised at the idea that the use of spy-planes to

review what is going on would be considered. What is surprising is the idea

that they would be used painted in the colours of the United Nations in

order to provoke an attack which could then be used to justify material

breach. Now that plainly looks as if it is deception, and it raises some

fundamental questions of legality, both in terms of domestic law and

international law. "

 

Also present at the meeting were President Bush's National Security Adviser,

Condoleeza Rice and her deputy Dan Fried, and the Presidents Chief of

Staff, Andrew Card. The Prime Minister took with him his then security

adviser Sir David Manning, his Foreign Policy aide Matthew Rycroft, and and

his chief of staff, Jonathan Powell.

 

Those present, as documented in Mr Sands' book, also discussed what might

happen in Iraq after liberation.

 

President Bush said that he: " thought it unlikely that there would be

internecine warfare between the different religious and ethnic groups. "

 

>>White House Meeting Memo Special Report