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Blair and Bush 'conspired to go to war regardless of United
Nations'
PM knew President was only going through the diplomatic motions,
claims new edition of book
By Marie Woolf, Political Editor
01/29/06 "The
Independent" -- - Tony Blair knew that George Bush
was only "going through the motions" of offering support for a
second UN resolution in the run-up to the Iraq war, it was
claimed last night.
According to reports in The Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister
and the US President decided to go to war regardless of whether
they obtained UN backing. The allegations will undermine claims
that the final decision to go to war was not made until MPs
voted in the Commons a day before military action. It will also
bolster claims that the President and Mr Blair decided to go to
war months before military action began.
An updated edition of a book by Philippe Sands QC, a leading
human rights barrister and Professor of Law at London
University, to be published in Britain this week, is expected to
strengthen claims that President Bush decided to go to war with
or without UN backing, and that he had Mr Blair's support.
The book is expected to produce fresh evidence that President
Bush only went through the motions of giving a wholehearted
endorsement to Mr Blair's attempts to gain full UN approval for
military action.
At a meeting between Mr Blair and Mr Bush at the White House on
31 January 2003, Mr Blair urged the President to try to obtain a
second UN resolution giving specific backing for the war. Mr
Bush gave qualified support for going down the UN route. But,
according to The Mail on Sunday, President Bush was only going
through the motions - and, the paper adds: "Mr Blair not only
knew it, but went along with it."
Sir Christopher Meyer, Britain's former ambassador to
Washington, had claimed in his memoirs that Britain failed to
use its influence to hold back the American march to war against
Iraq. In his book, he describes that meeting between the
President and Tony Blair.
"We are all milling around in the State dining room as Bush and
Blair put the final touches to what they were going to say to
the media," he wrote.
"Bush had a notepad on which he had written a form of words on
the second resolution. He read it out ... There was silence. I
waited for Blair to say he needed something as supportive as
possible. He said nothing. I waited for somebody on the No 10
team to say something. Nothing was said.
"I cursed myself afterwards for not piping up. At the press
conference, Bush gave only a perfunctory and luke-warm support
for a second resolution.
"It was neither his nor Blair's finest performance."
Tony Blair knew that George Bush was only "going through the
motions" of offering support for a second UN resolution in the
run-up to the Iraq war, it was claimed last night.
According to reports in The Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister
and the US President decided to go to war regardless of whether
they obtained UN backing. The allegations will undermine claims
that the final decision to go to war was not made until MPs
voted in the Commons a day before military action. It will also
bolster claims that the President and Mr Blair decided to go to
war months before military action began.
An updated edition of a book by Philippe Sands QC, a leading
human rights barrister and Professor of Law at London
University, to be published in Britain this week, is expected to
strengthen claims that President Bush decided to go to war with
or without UN backing, and that he had Mr Blair's support.
The book is expected to produce fresh evidence that President
Bush only went through the motions of giving a wholehearted
endorsement to Mr Blair's attempts to gain full UN approval for
military action.
At a meeting between Mr Blair and Mr Bush at the White House on
31 January 2003, Mr Blair urged the President to try to obtain a
second UN resolution giving specific backing for the war. Mr
Bush gave qualified support for going down the UN route. But,
according to The Mail on Sunday, President Bush was only going
through the motions - and, the paper adds: "Mr Blair not only
knew it, but went along with it."
Sir Christopher Meyer, Britain's former ambassador to
Washington, had claimed in his memoirs that Britain failed to
use its influence to hold back the American march to war against
Iraq. In his book, he describes that meeting between the
President and Tony Blair.
"We are all milling around in the State dining room as Bush and
Blair put the final touches to what they were going to say to
the media," he wrote.
"Bush had a notepad on which he had written a form of words on
the second resolution. He read it out ... There was silence. I
waited for Blair to say he needed something as supportive as
possible. He said nothing. I waited for somebody on the No 10
team to say something. Nothing was said.
"I cursed myself afterwards for not piping up. At the press
conference, Bush gave only a perfunctory and luke-warm support
for a second resolution.
"It was neither his nor Blair's finest performance."
© 2006 Independent News and Media Limited
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