Blair's secret war meetings with Clinton

Guardian Unlimited ^ | April 25, 2003 | Patrick Wintour

[Living Free in NH]

Tony Blair took repeated secret advice from the former American president Bill Clinton on how to unlock the diplomatic impasse between Europe and the US in the build-up to the war on Iraq, the Guardian can reveal.

In the crucial weekend before to the final breakdown of diplomacy in March, Mr Clinton was a guest of Mr Blair's at Chequers where the pair discussed the crisis.

Mr Blair was battling to persuade the Chilean president Ricardo Lagos - a key figure on the security council - to back a second UN resolution setting a new deadline for Saddam to cooperate fully with the UN or face military action.

Three days after his Chequers meeting, Mr Clinton made a rare public appeal to his successor, George Bush, to give the UN weapons inspectors more time.

Mr Blair and Mr Clinton met at least three times to discuss the war, underlining the extent to which Mr Blair rates Mr Clinton's analytical powers, despite the bond of trust he has also formed with the Republican White House.

The two men met on the weekend of March 8, the weekend during which Clare Short, the international development secretary, exploded a grenade by accusing the prime minister of running a reckless policy towards Iraq.

In a speech in Washington three days later Mr Clinton said the UN's chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, should set the timetable for compliance, adding: "I hope the United States would agree to that amount of time, whatever it is."

Mr Clinton was careful to say that Mr Bush was sincere in his pursuit of UN support, but added: "The question is, do they want the support bad enough to let Mr Blix finish his work and give enough time to do that?"

At that point, Mr Blair had been pressing the US in private to extend a deadline by which Saddam would have to shown to be cooperating with the UN.

Mr Blair and Mr Clinton had a warm, mutually supportive relationship during the latter's presidency. After the election of Mr Bush, Downing Street aides were anxious to maintain the "special relationship" between the US and the UK. Private polling for No 10 during the build-up to war showed hostility towards Mr Bush among British voters and Labour MPs, who disliked his language and manner.

At the time of Mr Clinton's private visit to Chequers, Mr Blair was very close to winning the agreement of the Chileans to British proposals.

The prime minister was so desperate to secure Chilean support that he told Mr Lagos that he was prepared to make the 7,230-mile journey to Santiago to clinch the support of the first centre-left leader of Chile since Salvador Allende.

In practice, Mr Blair would not have made the 35-hour round trip unless he could be sure that he would not be returning empty-handed and humiliated.

The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, had also expressed a willingness to travel to Chile, hoping that his earlier decision to arrest General Augusto Pinochet had given him some personal influence in the former dictator's country.

British efforts to secure a deal were scuppered when the French president, Jacques Chirac, gave a television interview saying he would veto a resolution authorising war whatever the circumstances.

Mr Blair followed up the interview with a private call to Mr Chirac, in which the French president said he would not tolerate any resolution that contained an ultimatum to Saddam.

Commenting on Mr Chirac's television performance, the defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, told the Guardian: "He blew it. If he had said 'let's look at it again in two months time', we would have been in much greater difficulty."

[MrsEmmaPeel]

I seem to remember a day when Bush and Blair had a joint news conference and Bush seemed particularly peeved that day. Peeved at Blair in fact - it was the day they were running late for a conference... who knows but it sure wouldn't surprise me if Bush gave Tony a dressing down over that.

Do you remember when Rummy candidly said something to the effect that we would go to war with or without Britain? The British press absolutely hyperventilated over that comment. Rummy later suggested that his comments were blown out of proportion. Perhaps Rummy's comment was a very public statement to Blair: we can live without you.

[MadIvan]

I don't believe this. Blair didn't have sufficient hours in his day for the lengthy useless verbiage for which Clinton is famous.

Regards, Ivan

[marty60]

The Thing was terrified his little pres stint would be exposed for what it was. A pathetic, simpleminded exercise in greed,gluttony,sloth,envy pride,lust, and wrath(murder). He was doing the stinky french bidding.

I bet his bossom buddy Arafatmouth is disappointed.

[PhiKapMom]

I remember that same press conference. The looks on President Bush's face and his speech showed to me that the meeting with Blair had not gone well. Maybe we intercepted calls between Clinton and Blair on Blair's way to the US? That day President Bush was flat out mad. When Blair had those idiotic six benchmarks for the 2nd resolution announced by Straw, would bet it caught the WH off guard. If you remember, the United States and Spain would not sign off on the benchmarks and eventually they and the second resolution went the way of the dodo bird.

Always felt those benchmarks had Clinton's fingerprints on them -- sounded just like something he would write! First one was a TV appearance -- that is Clinton all the way.

Also when we bombed the first night to get Saddam, the go order was issued earlier in the day but Blair was not informed until 15 minutes before the bombing began! Does that sound like the WH trusted Blair completely? It doesn't to me!

[Minty]

Isn't this like too weird? So much it makes me think that somehow all this may be going on with Bush approval.

[PhiKapMom]

LOL! Thanks for the ping! Guess I can give my two cents on this one too even though I seem to be in the minority on here! Not the first time -- when I first came on FR supporting GW Bush, the number of people supporting President Bush was in the grass! Now look at it!

[daviddennis]

I'm not surprised Blair consulted Clinton; after all, Blaiir is a centre-left leader, so he would have wanted some centre-left advice, especially considering that he's trying to appease centre-left people.

As has been pointed out elsewhere, the centre-left advice didn't work, because the centre-left position is basically appeasement for as long as you can get away with it.

But it's not surprising Blair would have wanted it.

I'm sure he knew perfectly well what advice Maggie Thatcher would give him, so no need to ask for it :-).

D

[TheSpottedOwl]

Very interesting.

[Servant of the Nine]

I thought individuals were prohibiting from conducting their own foreign policy?

If they are, why aren't Carter and Clinton prosecuted?

So9

[YaYa123]

BINGO!

Of course this leak came from Clinton! He wants the world to think he had a hand in the Bush/Blair victory.

Without a doubt, President Bush knew way ahead of time about these meetings, and probably got written transcripts afterward from Blair.

[Mr. Bird]

So much it makes me think that somehow all this may be going on with Bush approval.

Well he certainly can't be ignorant of it. A former president of the U.S. and the British PM don't get to meet for lunch without sounding a s***load of alarms for the CIA, Interpol, FBI, Secret Service, etc.

[mabelkitty]

Treason?

Calling for more inspections to further the cause of another nation over our own?

The longer it would go, the more harm our troops would be in due to the weather.

[mabelkitty]

Bet Blair gets bad flack from this.

Bet he is PISSED this came out.

[mabelkitty]

Clinton actively campaigned for France and Germany to oppose us.

Why hasn't he been arrested yet?

[mabelkitty]

Secret meeting with Hillary and the President of the Dominican Republic.

[mabelkitty]

Have you noticed the DNC is practically bankrupt since W took office? Coincidence? NOT!

Baghdad Bank closed.

[mabelkitty]

More proof this man is IGNORANT!!

All style, no substance. Stupid, stupid, man being protected by a compliant media.

[mabelkitty]

I do remember that.

Clinton was probably trying to talk Blair out of it.

[Salvation]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Verified from another source. This one is not quite reputable.

[mabelkitty]

I always love reading your postings. You have such a good memory on events and are very politically astute.

I think you nailed it. I also agree Clinton was acting as an agent against the United States for France and Germany, and I have to ask this:

Why? Hillary can't win in 2004, and neither can any other Democrat. If a Democrat wins in 2004, then Hillary can't run until 2012, and she would never win. She may not even keep her Senate seat by 2006.

Is Clinton and the DNC fingerprints all over the Oil for Food scheme? I think so. DNC has been practically broke since W took office, yet they still have a base. What happened? How in the hell did $1 Billion escape from our economy without the Clinton government knowing about it?

His actions are all for self-preservation, or course, but what did he do? What is he afraid we will find?