TONY BLAIR brought the Cabinet doubters over Iraq into line last night by telling ministers that the policy of containment had failed and that Saddam Hussein had to be stopped. He secured an important boost on the eve of today’s Commons emergency debate by persuading ministers to accept that military action would be needed if the United Nations route to a solution failed.
His success came after a 20-minute private meeting with the leading dove, Clare Short, and a 90-minute Cabinet discussion in which he outlined the key findings of the long-awaited dossier on Iraq's weapons stockpile that will be published at 8am today.
But although he has secured backing for his Iraqi strategy, Mr Blair could face further Cabinet problems if and when military action has to be taken. He ensured that last night’s discussion was about the threat posed by Saddam rather than the military means of dealing with him. That potentially explosive debate will come later.
Mr Blair will tonight attempt to repair another rift when Gerhard Schröder, Germany’s newly re-elected Chancellor, will fly to London for urgent talks at Downing Street.
Herr Schröder has caused deep anger in Washington by campaigning on an anti-war platform and diplomats said the Prime Minister saw his role as that of a conciliator between the two major powers.
There were also signs of fresh problems at the UN as it emerged that Britain had told other members of the Security Council that Washington’s policy of regime change was “in the refrigerator”. Diplomats said Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Britain’s UN Ambassador, told the ten non-permanent members of the Security Council on Friday that Washington had put “regime change” on ice unless the weapons inspections “come to a grinding halt” in the view of Hans Blix, the chief UN inspector. But a US official told The Times yesterday that Sir Jeremy’s assertion was “absolutely false” and insisted that “regime change” remained official US policy. Britain has been trying to persuade the Americans to avoid references to regime change because it upsets other members of the UN.
Mr Blair’s warning to the Cabinet that Saddam must be stopped came after fresh signs of ministerial discontent.
Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, is thought to have raised her serious reservations about war during the meeting with Mr Blair while telling him she did not intend to resign. Robin Cook, another dove, has also indicated that he has no intention of leaving the Cabinet. As she left the meeting last night, Ms Short said: “We had a good discussion. We all agreed.”
Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, when asked if the Cabinet was united in its approach, said: “Everybody is clear in the Cabinet and, I believe, across the world that when we are faced with this kind of threat then we have to be resolute in dealing with it.”
The Cabinet debate was said to have been “very serious in tone.” Ministerial sources said afterwards that no one who had spoken — including Ms Short — had ruled out the possibility that military action might eventually be necessary.
Today’s dossier will contain fresh evidence of Saddam’s nuclear ambitions and a growing threat from his deadly weapons, sources said.
Mr Blair told the Cabinet that the 50-page dossier, drawing on the latest intelligence, showed that the “real and serious problem” of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programme had grown worse in the four years since the inspections ended. He said that it was right to continue to try to deal with the issue of disarming Iraq through the UN.
However, he said that Saddam had only agreed to readmit UN weapons inspectors under intense international pressure and it was essential that the pressure was maintained. “There is no doubt whatever that, despite the denials, despite sanctions, despite the UN Security Council resolutions, he is continuing with his (weapons) programme,” he said.
The 20,000-word dossier on Iraq will be presented as compelling proof to uneasy Labour MPs that the threat from Saddam cannot be brushed aside.
David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, issued an astonishing appeal for unity to his Cabinet colleagues, telling them they should observe collective responsibility whatever their concerns. “This is something to do with all of us. We’ll share our views, we’ll share our worries and we’ll come out united,” he said Downing Street said before the Cabinet meeting that there were no “gagging orders”.
Mr Blair’s spokesman, however, dismissed interventions over the weekend from Ms Short and Mr Cook. Other ministers were understood to be deeply irritated by Ms Short’s interview in which she said there could not be an all-out war because the Iraqi people had suffered enough.
The spokesman said: “The Prime Minister believes the Iraqi people have suffered a huge amount — as a result of a brutal, dictatorial regime. Nobody wants the Iraqi people to suffer. But the threat to them comes from Saddam Hussein.”
