
George Bush was determined to ‘rid world of evil-doer Saddam Hussein'
However, files released to the National Archives at Kew, west London, show that Britain's ambassador to the US, Sir Christopher Meyer, warned it had become 'politically impossible' to draw back from war unless Hussein surrendered.
British officials were still hoping that the the United Nations Security Council would agree a new resolution specifically authorising the use of military force against Iraq.
Mr Blair's foreign policy adviser, Sir David Manning, said that when he met the president he should make the point that a new resolution was 'politically essential for the UK, and almost certainly legally essential as well'.
However, the Americans were becoming increasingly impatient with the unwillingness of France and Russia – which both had a veto on the council – to agree a resolution so long as UN inspectors were unable to find any evidence of Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, the supposed justification for war.
Following Mr Bush's annual State of the Union address to Congress, shortly before Mr Blair's visit, he warned that the options for a peaceful solution had effectively run out.
Sir Christopher Meyer, Britain's ambassador to the United States (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)
'It is politically impossible for Bush to back down from going to war in Iraq this spring, absent Saddam's surrender or disappearance from the scene' he wrote.
'If Bush had any room for manoeuvre beforehand this was closed off by his State of the Union speech.
'In the high-flown prose to which Bush is drawn on these set-piece occasions, he said in effect that destroying Saddam is a crusade against evil to be undertaken by God's chosen people.'
In a cable sent the previous month, Sir Christopher said that much of the impulse for deposing Hussein was coming from the president, a born-again Christian, who was scornful of what he saw as the 'self-serving' reservations of the Europeans.
'His view of the world is Manichean. He sees his mission as ridding it of evil-doers. He believes American values should be universal values,' Sir Christopher wrote.
'He is strongly allergic to Europeans collectively. Anyone who has sat round a dinner table with low-church Southerners will find these sentiments instantly recognisable.'
In the event, the US and UK abandoned their efforts to get agreement on a new Security Council resolution, claiming French president Jacques Chirac had made it clear he would never agree.
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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Iran planning to execute 30,000 in repeat of horror 1988 ‘massacre' as part of desperate crackdown, insiders fear
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Ehsani meanwhile bravely vowed he was "ready" to sacrifice his life in the ongoing fight for freedom for the Iranian people. Iran has repeatedly unleashed lethal force on its own people - especially at times of crisis - in a sickening bid to stamp out rebellion. Glaring vulnerabilities in the regime's grip on power have been exposed after Israel and the US launched a monumental effort to destroy its nuclear threat. Executions and arrests are weaponised to scare dissidents, and it is feared panicked Ayatollah Khamenei is planning a similar plot to the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners. The regime was also in turmoil that year after accepting a ceasefire with Iraq. Now, death sentences against those affiliated with the main democratic opposition, the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK), are being expedited as Khamenei scrambles for control. 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Ayatollah 'on his heels' by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) IRAN'S merciless regime is "fully on its heels" - leaving the Ayatollah's days numbered, a former US ambassador says. But the West will not be able to topple Tehran's brutal dictatorship, Mark D. Wallace, CEO & Founder of United Against Nuclear Iran, warned. The ex-ambassador to the UN said it will be down to the Iranian people - who have suffered outrageous repression for decades - to finally end the regime's rule. Iron-fist fanatics have used violent and ruthless measures, including executions and torture, in a twisted bid to stamp out opposition and silence critics. The regime's future now appears to be hanging by a thread, however, as it sits in a "combustible state" following the obliteration of its nuclear empire by the US and Israel. Several of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's top military brass were wiped out in the 12-day war - leaving the barbaric ruler vulnerable. 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Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Moment Sir Keir Starmer arrives for showdown talks with Donald Trump as PM's plane lands ahead of trip to Turnberry
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Desperate Palestinians swarm aid trucks in Gaza
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'Children are starving and dying in front of our eyes. Gaza is a dystopian landscape of deadly attacks and total destruction,' he said in a statement. The IDF said that allowing a 'tactical pause in military activity' to allow humanitarian aid in would 'refute the false claim on international starvation'. These were to take place from 10am until 8pm in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, all with large populations. Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday. Dozens of trucks carrying tonnes of humanitarian aid moved towards the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza, the Al Qahera correspondent said. Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Still, Israel faces a growing chorus of voices urging more be done to ensure swift and full delivery of aid to Gaza's civilian population. Last Wednesday, more than 100 largely aid and rights groups called for foreign governments to take action, demanding the lifting of all restrictions on the flow of aid. 'As the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza, aid workers are now joining the same food lines, risking being shot just to feed their families. 'With supplies now totally depleted, humanitarian organisations are witnessing their own colleagues and partners waste away before their eyes,' the organisations said. 'The Government of Israel's restrictions, delays, and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation, and death.' Doctors operating in the strip report that scores of Palestinians have died from malnutrition in recent days, amid aid shortages. And France's Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency warned last week its journalists 'might die of hunger', urging Israel to allow reporters to leave. Israel has said that Hamas is using a so-called 'famine narrative' to leverage hostage talks. Last week, Israel and the United States said they were leaving talks in Doha, suggesting a cynical 'lack of desire to reach a ceasefire' from Hamas. Hamas responded with incredulity and insisted it did want to continue negotiations. Israel has said it will not agree to a ceasefire until Hamas gives up power in Gaza and disarms. Hamas says it is willing to leave power but not give up its weapons. For the time being, the people of Gaza and Israel are no closer to lasting peace and the return of the hostages still held by Hamas. Israel has always maintained that it is not responsible for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. But its allies outside of the United States increasingly issue warnings that civilians are starving and Israel must do more to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law. Israel had hitherto supported a US-backed private aid operation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). But the mission too faced pressure after the UN reported that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians seeking food aid, mostly near the distribution points. Israel accused Hamas of instigating chaos near the aid sites. It said its troops had only fired warning shots, and that they do not deliberately shoot civilians. The GHF accused Hamas of massive aid theft in defending its distribution model. But an internal U.S. government analysis released last week found no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the U.S. give for backing the aid operation.