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| Blair gave secret pledge to Bush on Iraq war, Campbell reveals at Chilcot inquiry Former No 10 communications chief Alastair Campbell gives insight into correspondence with White House in months before start of war in 2003 which led to Saddam Hussein's removalTony Blair privately assured President George Bush in letters written a year before the invasion of Iraq that Britain would "be there" in any US-led attack on the country, it was revealed at the Chilcot inquirytoday.The disclosure came during sometimes sharp exchanges with Alastair Campbell, Blair's communications chief and close adviser, who described Gordon Brown, the then chancellor, as "one of the key ministers" Blair spoke to about Iraq.In almost five hours of questioning, Campbell:• Defended "every single word" in the Blair government's now largely discredited dossier on Iraq's banned weapons programme.• Said Britain should be "proud" of its role in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.• Said Blair tried to get the conflict with Iraq resolved "without a shot being fired".Blair wrote "quite a lot of notes" to Bush in 2002 and their substance was not shared with the cabinet, Campbell made clear. Asked if the then foreign secretary, Jack Straw, knew their contents, Campbell replied: "I very much doubt if drafts went round the system … They were very frank." However, Campbell said they were discussed with Sir David Manning, Blair's foreign policy adviser.He said the tenor of the letters was: "We share the analysis, we share the concern, we are going to be with you in making sure that Saddam Hussein is faced up to his obligations and that Iraq is disarmed." Campbell added: "If that cannot be done diplomatically and it is to be done militarily, Britain will be there. That would be the tenor of the communication to the president."The letters Blair wrote to Bush have been passed to the Chilcot inquiry. It has not given any indication about whether it will publish them.Campbell was responding to persistent questioning from Sir Roderic Lyne, a member of the inquiry panel and a former ambassador. Lyne referred Campbell to a leaked document in which Manning, on a trip to Washington in March 2002, a year before the invasion, told Blair he had underlined Britain's position to Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser."I said you [Blair] would not budge in your support for regime change, but you had to manage a press, a parliament, and a public opinion which is very different than anything in the States," Manning wrote.Responding to Lyne's question, Campbell said: "The prime minister's overall approach was saying 'there's going to be disarmament. We're going to do our level best to get that through the diplomatic route, without a single shot being fired but, if push comes to shove and the diplomatic route fails, Britain would see it as its responsibility and its duty to take part in military action'."Blair was determined to disarm Saddam, Campbell said. Blair's message to the US in April 2002 was he would try to do it through UN resolutions. However, "if the only way is regime change through military action then the British government will support the American government", Campbell said, describing Blair's view.The inquiry has also heard from senior British diplomats that regime change was being discussed by Blair in the US in 2002 even though, according to leaked documents, Lord Goldsmith, the attorney general, warned the PM that military action aimed at regime change, as opposed to disarmament, would be unlawful.Campbell stoutly defended the September 2002 Iraqi weapons dossier which stated that Saddam was continuing to build up a nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programme – claims that were shown to be without foundation after the invasion. He insisted that Sir John Scarlett, then chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, was adamant throughout that he was "100% in charge" of the process of drawing up the dossier."At no time did I ask him to beef up, to override, any of the judgments that he had," Campbell told the inquiry. "John Scarlett said to me 'This is a document the prime minister is going to present to parliament, there are massive global expectations around it, and I need a bit of presentational support,' and that is what I gave him."At no time did Scarlett or intelligence officers question the contents of the dossier, said Campbell.Campbell on occasions sharply criticised the British media and played down any influence he had over journalists. Asked about the notorious claim in the weapons dossier that Iraq could deploy chemical and biological weapons within 45 minutes he said it had only been given "iconic" status by the press.Asked if it could have been made clear that the claim only ever applied to battlefield weapons rather than longer range missiles, Campbell replied: "Obviously, but it's not that big a point."He disclosed that the international development secretary Clare Short, who subsequently resigned over the war, had been excluded from discussions on the aftermath of the conflict because of fears of leaks."I think in an ideal world the secretary of state for international development would, should and could have been involved in all those discussions," he said. "It was no secret that she was very difficult to handle at times. I think sometimes the military found her approach to them difficult to deal with."Alastair CampbellIraq war inquiryTony BlairGeorge BushIraqRichard Norton-Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
First minister backs Haiti appeal The first minister urges the Welsh public to back an appeal to help those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. news.bbc.co.uk |
Most hated building to be demolished Bournemouth council to spend £7.5m razing leisure complex which topped poll of buildings in need of demolitionA seaside building that won a poll as the most hated in England is to be bought by a local authority and razed.Bournemouth borough council is to spend around £7.5m to rid the Dorset resort of the Waterfront leisure complex. Featuring dark glass and a wavy roof designed to represent the sea, the development, also known as the Imax building, caused an outcry when it was opened in 1998 owing to both its looks and the fact that it blocked a beloved view across the water to the Purbeck Hills.The cinema, the centrepiece of the complex, did not open for almost three years, closed again soon afterwards and was not re-opened.In 2005 the Channel 4 programme Demolition asked people which building they would like knocked down and the Imax was judged first in line in England.Bournemouth council leader, Stephen MacLoughlin, said: "We have listened to Bournemouth's residents who want to see the seafront rid of the detested Imax building. We have given the existing occupiers enough time to deliver on this site and will not wait for action any longer. The time is right for the council to seize the initiative."Contracts have been exchanged and the purchase will be completed on 1 February.Councillor Ron Whittaker, an independent, said: "I think the people of Bournemouth will say thank God it is going. We have to hold our hands up and say we got it wrong all those years ago when it was given permission."It has been the biggest talking point in the town for years, and not just among residents but also visitors. It is a hideous and ugly building and whatever happens now it must be demolished so that the glorious views are restored."A resident of the resort, John Baker, said: "This is tremendous news. No one wanted it before it was built and no one wanted it after it was built. It was a vanity project for the councillors and officers who gave permission and it simply does not fit in along the front."ArchitectureLocal governmentSteven Morrisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Miliband warns of terror threat after 'Bin Laden' tape aired Danger of attack still 'very real' says foreign secretary after tape claims responsibility for Detroit plane bomb attemptThe foreign secretary today warned that the danger of a terrorist attack remained "very real", hours after the release of an audio tape purportedly from Osama bin Laden claiming responsibility for the attempted bombing of a plane over Detroit.David Miliband said the Christmas Day bomb scare demonstrated that links could exist between different terrorist groups, but urged caution about the al-Qaida leader's latest message."Let's wait to see what he actually says; we know that the al-Qaida senior leadership are in the badlands of the Afghan-Pakistan border, probably on the Pakistan side," Miliband told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show. "We know too that the Detroit attack was the first time that al-Qaida of the Arabian Peninsula, which is a sub-group of the al-Qaida franchise – it's the first time, the Detroit attack, that represents an attack on the west rather than an attack within the Middle East."On the tape, broadcast on al-Jazeera, the speaker addressed Barack Obama directly. "The message I want to convey to you through the plane of the hero Umar Farouk [Abdulmutallab], reaffirms a previous message that the heroes of 9/11 conveyed to you," he said."America will never dream of living in peace unless we live it in Palestine. It is unfair that you enjoy a safe life while our brothers in Gaza suffer greatly. God willing, our raids on you will continue as long as your support to the Israelis will continue."Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian national, has been charged with attempting to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight as it approached Detroit Metro airport on Christmas Day. The bomb hidden in his underwear failed to explode. Abdulmutallab told US investigators afterwards that he had been trained by al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.Yemen has launched a series of air strikes targeting al-Qaida leaders since the Detroit incident and has claimed to have killed several senior figures including Qasim al-Raymi and Ayed al-Shabwani – claims that al-Qaida has denied. The US has been supplying military equipment, intelligence and training to Yemen.Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula originally took credit for the Detroit incident, but in the latest tape it is Bin Laden who claims primary responsibility. There was no way of confirming the authenticity of the tape, but it resembled previous recordings attributed to the al-Qaida leader, who is believed to be somewhere in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, Andy David, dismissed Bin Laden's attempt to link Israel with attacks on the US. "This is nothing new; he has said this before. Terrorists always look for absurd excuses for their despicable deeds," he said.The last public message from Bin Laden appears to have been on 26 September, when he demanded that European countries pull their troops out of Afghanistan. That audio tape also warned of "retaliation" against countries allied with the US in the war.The Home Office said a raised terror threat level would not cause "any discernible difference" for the British public. The home secretary, Alan Johnson, increased the threat level from "substantial" to "severe" on Friday night , meaning he considers an attack "highly likely".According to the Sunday Telegraph, his move came amid fears that al-Qaida terrorist cells had trained women, who may not be of Arabic appearance, to carry out suicide attacks. The Home Office said it was unable to comment on whether the two were linked, but insisted the threat level was raised only in consideration of an "entire body" of information.Richard Clarke, a former chief White House counter-terrorism adviser, told the paper: "They (al-Qaida) have trained women. There are others who are still out there who have been trained and who are clean skins – that means people who we do not have a record of, people who may not look like al-Qaida terrorists, who may not be Arabs and may not be men."The Conservative MP Patrick Mercer, chairman of the home affairs sub-committee on counter-terrorism, criticised the lack of information from the government. He told the BBC: "We have had absolutely no guidance from this government about what to spot, about what to be suspicious of and how to report it."The independent reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, Lord Carlile of Berriew, said the government was right to announce the change in the threat level. "It is absolutely essential that there should be public vigilance and the government has – quite rightly – decided that if you don't tell the public to be vigilant, they are not going to be vigilant," he said.Gordon Brown announced new measures last week, including a suspension of direct flights between the UK and Yemen and a "no-fly list" to prevent people with suspected militant links from travelling to Britain.The escalation of the threat level reverses a decision in July last year to downgrade the likelihood of a terror attack from "severe" to "substantial".JTAC, a unit within MI5, sets the level based on an analysis of intelligence. The assessment covers potential attacks by al-Qaida or linked extremist groups. There are five levels of threat, ranging from low – meaning an attack is unlikely – to critical, when an attack is expected imminently.UK security and terrorismDavid MilibandForeign policyOsama bin LadenAl-QaidaGlobal terrorismMark Tranguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Goldman partners cap pay at £1m UK-based partners at Goldman Sachs are capping their 2009 pay and bonuses at £1m each, the BBC has learned. news.bbc.co.uk |