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Blair denies 'bullying' Goldsmith UK got war options 'in June 2002'
(about 1 hour later)
Tony Blair has denied reports his top legal adviser was gagged over doubts about the Iraq invasion's legality. Former PM Tony Blair first asked for options for UK involvement in military action against Iraq in June 2002, his then foreign policy adviser has said.
Asked if a report in the Mail on Sunday claiming that Lord Goldsmith was "bullied" into keeping quiet was accurate, he told CNN: "No, it's not." The PM was aware US military planning had started and wanted to find out what the UK military options were.
The ex-prime minister said he would respond in full when he gives evidence to the Iraq inquiry in the new year. But Mr Blair kept pressing President Bush to go through the UN to deal with Saddam Hussein, Sir David Manning said.
His ex-adviser Sir David Manning has told the inquiry Mr Blair asked for military options in June 2002. He also said Mr Bush first mentioned Iraq in a call on 14 September 2001 - three days after the attacks on the US.
The president said there might be evidence of some connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden, Sir David Manning told the Iraq war inquiry in London.
He said Mr Blair had replied that the "evidence would have to be very compelling indeed" to justify action against Iraq.
'No war plan'
Over the course of the next year, which included meetings between the two leaders at the president's Crawford ranch and at Camp David, the British continued to press Mr Bush to go through the UN, he said.
At the Crawford meeting, Mr Blair was told by the president that at that stage there was "no war plan" for Iraq but that a "small cell" had been set up in US Central Command in Florida to do some planning and come up with options for removing Saddam Hussein.
Mr Blair will give evidence early in the new year
Sir David said the British were convinced Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and their policy was to disarm him, rather than sharing the US's primary goal of regime change.
He said that Mr Blair had made clear that the UK could only take part in any action if the issue went to the United Nations first.
But he said they were aware of a "real tussle in the heart of the [US] administration" about whether President Bush should go back to the UN.
Giving evidence at the start of the second week of the inquiry, Sir David Manning said the first time he knew that Mr Blair had asked for military options "was in June 2002".
Military options
Because they were aware that US Central Command had started planning, Sir David said he thought Mr Blair "was anxious I think to find out what sort of options do we have?"
In July 2002 the defence secretary's office outlined three possibilities. The first was an "in place support package" - using British military assets in the region such as planes in the no-fly zone and bases like Diego Garcia.
The second option was "the enhanced support package" - similar but with "additional maritime assets and aircraft" and possibly some special forces involvement, which would take two months to assemble.
I think as time passed there was an acceptance that if it came to military action that we probably would be willing to move to package three rather than package two Sir David Manning
A bigger third option "the discreet UK package" would have offered land forces at about the level of 20,000 troops - which would have meant at least six months' preparation, Sir David said.
Mr Blair had said he did not want to take any decisions at that stage.
"This was the time when we were pressing for the Americans to consider the UN route, I think he didn't want to give any signal that he was keen to think about a military alternative as opposed to going back to the UN route," said Sir David.
But in September Mr Blair was asked if Britain wanted to send a team to a planning conference in US Central Command in Florida and if so, what would the British be willing to offer.
Regime change
Sir David said: "At this stage, the prime minister said he was willing, on an entirely contingent basis, for the military to suggest that we would be willing to offer 'package two' .. but that it had to be absolutely clear that no political decisions had been made in Britain about this.
"Clearly during October there was further discussion between the prime minister and the defence secretary about this and I think as time passed there was an acceptance that if it came to military action that we probably would be willing to move to package three rather than package two."
Sir David was asked whether he thought Mr Blair had told President Bush at their Crawford summit that the UK would join the US in military action.
He said that Mr Blair at that time stressed that the issue had to go to the United Nations with the goal of a peaceful international resolution to the crisis.
But he also made clear that if the Iraq issue went to the United Nations and international efforts to disarm Saddam failed, then the UK would support US moves for regime change.
Legal gagging denied
On Sunday Mr Blair denied reports his top legal adviser was gagged over doubts about the Iraq invasion's legality.
The Mail on Sunday had reported that a letter written by Lord Goldsmith - then the government's top legal adviser - six days after a cabinet meeting on 23 July 2002 had been submitted to the inquiry.The Mail on Sunday had reported that a letter written by Lord Goldsmith - then the government's top legal adviser - six days after a cabinet meeting on 23 July 2002 had been submitted to the inquiry.
'Not accurate'
The newspaper claimed Lord Goldsmith had advised that war could not be justified on the grounds of regime change, self defence nor humanitarian intervention and previous UN resolutions approving the use of force could not be relied upon.The newspaper claimed Lord Goldsmith had advised that war could not be justified on the grounds of regime change, self defence nor humanitarian intervention and previous UN resolutions approving the use of force could not be relied upon.
The report accused Mr Blair of then deliberately keeping him out of cabinet meetings and of bullying the attorney general, who had threatened to resign, into backing down.The report accused Mr Blair of then deliberately keeping him out of cabinet meetings and of bullying the attorney general, who had threatened to resign, into backing down.
It would be wrong to pretend to you that I sat in my seat for two years and thought about nothing but Iraq Sir David Manning
Asked if that was an accurate picture, Mr Blair told CNN: "No, it's not".Asked if that was an accurate picture, Mr Blair told CNN: "No, it's not".
But he added: "But I think the best thing with this inquiry is actually to let us all give our evidence to the inquiry."But he added: "But I think the best thing with this inquiry is actually to let us all give our evidence to the inquiry."
On Monday Sir David began his evidence to the Iraq inquiry by outlining British foreign policy issues after the 9 September 2001 attacks on the US. He stressed to the inquiry that Iraq was not the only issue under discussion.
In the first half of 2002, the prospect of a conflict between India and Pakistan, and tension between Israel and the Palestinians were at least as important, he said.
"It would be wrong to pretend to you that I sat in my seat for two years and thought about nothing but Iraq," he said.
But he said over that period US attitudes "evolved" and the UK had to take that into account.
The first time he was aware that President Bush had mentioned Iraq to Mr Blair after the 9/11 attacks was on 14 September in a telephone call when he said there might be evidence of some connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden.
'Small cell'
The prime minister told him that the "evidence would have to be very compelling indeed" to justify action against Iraq.
Over the course of the next year, which included meetings between the two leaders at the president's Crawford ranch and at Camp David, the British continued to press Mr Bush to go through the UN to tackle Saddam Hussein, the ex-foreign policy adviser said.
At the Crawford meeting, Mr Blair was told by the president that at that stage there was "no war plan" for Iraq but that a "small cell" had been set up in US Central Command in Florida to do some planning and come up with options for removing Saddam Hussein.
Sir David said the British were convinced Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and their policy was to disarm him, rather than sharing the US's primary goal of regime change.
He said that Mr Blair had made clear that the UK could only take part in any action if the issue went to the United Nations first.
But he said they were aware of a "real tussle in the heart of the [US] administration" about whether President Bush should go back to the UN.