TONY BLAIR admits he hasn't the "faintest idea" what is going on in Iraq. In
an unguarded comment he revealed there is little new evidence that
Saddam Hussein is developing or building weapons of mass destruction. Speaking
at his Camp David council of war with President George Bush at the
weekend, the PM said virtually no information had come from inside Iraq
since the departure of United Nations weapons inspectors 1998. He
said: "We haven't the faintest idea what has been going on in the last
four years other than what we know is an attempt to carry on rebuilding
weapons. "The details of it is something that the Iraqi regime should be forced to disclose." President Bush appeared to admit his claim that Saddam wanted nuclear missiles was based on four-year-old reports. But he said: "I do not know what more evidence we need." Mr
Bush and Mr Blair have consistently said massive military action is
justified because Saddam is on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon. They
also claim to be preparing a "dossier of evidence" to be published
within two weeks which they hope will swing world opinion in their
favour. But critics believe it will be nothing more than a rehash of old information and anti-Saddam allegations. And other senior US figures also admitted that evidence against Saddam was patchy. Richard
Haass, director of policy at the State Department, said the US was in
no doubt that Saddam was seeking nuclear capability. But he added: "We don't know exactly the true dimension of the threat. "One
of the questions for the British and US governments is what measure of
uncertainty we are prepared to live with, given the man's track record." The
PM's slip came as he and Mr Bush bowed to massive international and
grass roots opposition - after three hours of talks over grilled
swordfish and Chardonnay they decided the UN must be given one last
chance to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Mr Bush will tell the UN this week that Iraq is "a ticking time bomb". In
a speech on Thursday he called for a final ultimatum to allow the
return of weapons inspectors. Any failure to meet the deadline would
mean military strikes with the blessing of the UN. And he will urge that it is time to take quick, tough action to topple the dictator. But if they fail to support an assault, Mr Bush will it make clear the US will go it alone. Vice-President
Dick Cheney claimed yesterday that Iraq recently tried to buy thousands
of special aluminum tubes it was thought could be used in making
enriched uranium for nuclear weapons. He
said: "We know about a particular shipment. We've intercepted that. We
don't know what else, what other avenues he may be taking out there."
Asked about a possible invasion of Iraq by US troops, Mr Cheney
claimed: "I don't think it would be that tough a fight." He admitted they would have to stay a long time to ensure a peaceful transition to a new government. But
he added: "The danger of an attack against the United States by someone
with the weapons that Saddam now possesses or is acquiring is far more
costly." Mr Blair will tell
the TUC conference tomorrow he wants the UN to take a new lead. But he
will also insist it does so quickly and firmly. A senior British official said: "The UN is the right place to deal with this but it has to address the issues. "We cannot have a situation where year after year after year Saddam just flouts the will of the international community." Looking
tired after the summit, Mr Blair said: "The key thing is that we have
shared values and a shared determination to deal with the issue of
weapons of mass destruction ... on the basis of the broadest possible
international support. "This challenge is not simply for America or for Britain but for the whole international community. "We
have a shared strategy on how we believe this should go forward, based
on the absolute determination that we have to deal with the issue.
Doing nothing is not an option." But
he also repeated dire warnings that Saddam poses a threat to the world.
In a TV interview he said: "I can't say it will be next month or even
next year but at some point as a result of this the danger will
explode. To say there is not an issue here is totally irresponsible." Mr Bush is under growing pressure at home and abroad not to risk going it alone on military action. In
another blow a poll said 64 per cent of Americans - including 57 per
cent of those in favour of an attack - believe he has not made a clear
case against Saddam. And 66 per cent told the New York Times the US should wait for allied support. Only 25 per cent backed a go-it-alone strategy. A
survey of the studio audience for Channel 4's War on Terrorism on Trial
also showed firm opposition. Three quarters said Britain should not
join an attack. |