Iraq Inquiry: Tony Blair talked of 'political' plots to bring down Iraqi regime

Published on Thursday 10 December 2009 21:39

SADDAM Hussein's Iraq was one of a number of countries where Britain would have liked to see regime change, the chief of MI6 said yesterday.

Sir John Sawers, who was at the time Tony Blair's private secretary for foreign affairs, said discussions took place in 2001 – two years before the invasion – on "political" actions which could help undermine his regime.

However, giving evidence to the official inquiry into the conflict, he insisted that there was no talk in Whitehall at that stage of military action in Iraq. He said the approach adopted was based on the methods which had led to the ousting of Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia the previous year.

Among the proposals considered was support for opposition groups and indicting Saddam for war crimes during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

"I think there are a lot of countries around the world where we would like to see a change of regime," he said. "That doesn't mean one pursues active policies in that direction.

"Although support for change – change of behaviour, modernisation of systems, more open accountable systems, independence of the judiciary, free media, freedom of association – these sorts of issue that we pursued in our policies around the world that are designed to bring about improvements in the governments of countries, including change of leaders.

"That is not vastly different from the approach that we were pursuing in Iraq in a very difficult situation because Saddam Hussein was one of the world's last remaining dictators."

Sir John said he had discussed the approach towards Iraq with US Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice in January 2001 as George Bush's administration was preparing to take office.

He said the issue was raised again when Mr Blair met President Bush for the first time the following month at Camp David.

Despite the comparison with Serbia, Sir John acknowledged that it would have taken more to dislodge Saddam through political means than it did Milosevic.

"The nature of the regime was much more violent, much more brutal in Iraq," he said. "Anybody remotely speaking out against Saddam would have found themselves locked up in Abu Ghraib or have their head chopped off."

The dangers for opponents of the regime in Iraq meant a greater focus on exile groups than had been the case in Serbia, he said.

He stressed that throughout that period, the main aim of British policy was the "containment" of Saddam via a strengthened UN sanctions regime.

In May 2003, after the invasion, Sir John – who was by that time British ambassador to Cairo – was temporarily appointed as the UK's special representative in Iraq.

He defended the controversial decisions by Paul Bremer, the US head of the Coalition Provisional Authority which had been set up to run the country, to disband the Iraqi army and remove officials who were members of Saddam's Baath Party.

But he made clear there had been only limited consultation with the British on both issues, even though UK forces in the country were directly affected.

The inquiry was adjourned until Monday.