On the eve of Chilcot
Looking back, trying to make sense of the disastrous success that was the Iraq War, it's difficult to remember what happened when. So I'm glad that back then, when I noticed something, something about the timing, the order things happened in, something quite significant, I wrote about it:
"As delivered
Introduction of draft UNMOVIC Work Programme, Security Council 19 March 2003
Executive Chairman Dr. Hans Blix
19 March - Mr. President
"UNMOVIC was established by the Security Council resolution 1284 (1999) and was enabled to enter Iraq and carry out its inspection work almost three years later.
"It might seem strange that we are presenting a draft work programme only after having already performed inspections for three and a half months. However, there were good reasons why the Council wanted to give us some time after the start of inspections to prepare this programme. During the months of the build up of our resources in Iraq, Larnaca and New York and of inspections in Iraq we have - as was indeed the purpose - learnt a great deal that has been useful to know for the drafting of our work programme and for the selection of key remaining disarmament tasks. It would have been difficult to draft it without this knowledge and this practical experience.
"The time lines established in resolution 1284 (1999) have been understood to mean that the work programme was to be presented for the approval of the Council at the latest on 27 March. In order to meet the wishes of members of the Council we made the Draft Work Programme available already on Monday this week. I note that on the very same day we were constrained together with other UN units to order the withdrawal of all our inspectors and other international staff from Iraq.
"I naturally feel sadness that three and a half months of work carried out in Iraq have not brought the assurances needed about the absence of weapons of mass destruction or other proscribed items in Iraq, that no more time is available for our inspections and that armed action now seems imminent."
Full text at: http://www.cafe-uni.co.uk/peace/iraq/blix19march.htm
Was I the only person who was shocked and surprised when Hans Blix made this speech at the UN on 19 March? This was the eve of the war and there I was confronted with a fact that no-one seemed to have mentioned, which was that Unmovic was only now due to submit its work programme. Thus it's very clear to me that the US and UK jumped the gun in invading Iraq. It's also clear that the US had decided - independently of any work Unmovic might undertake - that it was going to invade Iraq, and that mid-March was the last possible date the invasion could begin, unless it was postponed till the autumn. And postponement till the autumn was out of the question because of the cost of keeping troops and equipment so long in the Middle East, and because it's likely the pro-war movement would run out of steam. Other excuses for the rush to war were just spin.
20/5/03 https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/hans$20blix$20dadge/uk.politics.misc/oFeVcpv5TeU/DPQfQYDXRlsJ
"As delivered
Introduction of draft UNMOVIC Work Programme, Security Council 19 March 2003
Executive Chairman Dr. Hans Blix
19 March - Mr. President
"UNMOVIC was established by the Security Council resolution 1284 (1999) and was enabled to enter Iraq and carry out its inspection work almost three years later.
"It might seem strange that we are presenting a draft work programme only after having already performed inspections for three and a half months. However, there were good reasons why the Council wanted to give us some time after the start of inspections to prepare this programme. During the months of the build up of our resources in Iraq, Larnaca and New York and of inspections in Iraq we have - as was indeed the purpose - learnt a great deal that has been useful to know for the drafting of our work programme and for the selection of key remaining disarmament tasks. It would have been difficult to draft it without this knowledge and this practical experience.
"The time lines established in resolution 1284 (1999) have been understood to mean that the work programme was to be presented for the approval of the Council at the latest on 27 March. In order to meet the wishes of members of the Council we made the Draft Work Programme available already on Monday this week. I note that on the very same day we were constrained together with other UN units to order the withdrawal of all our inspectors and other international staff from Iraq.
"I naturally feel sadness that three and a half months of work carried out in Iraq have not brought the assurances needed about the absence of weapons of mass destruction or other proscribed items in Iraq, that no more time is available for our inspections and that armed action now seems imminent."
Full text at: http://www.cafe-uni.co.uk/peace/iraq/blix19march.htm
Was I the only person who was shocked and surprised when Hans Blix made this speech at the UN on 19 March? This was the eve of the war and there I was confronted with a fact that no-one seemed to have mentioned, which was that Unmovic was only now due to submit its work programme. Thus it's very clear to me that the US and UK jumped the gun in invading Iraq. It's also clear that the US had decided - independently of any work Unmovic might undertake - that it was going to invade Iraq, and that mid-March was the last possible date the invasion could begin, unless it was postponed till the autumn. And postponement till the autumn was out of the question because of the cost of keeping troops and equipment so long in the Middle East, and because it's likely the pro-war movement would run out of steam. Other excuses for the rush to war were just spin.
20/5/03 https://groups.google.com/forum/#!search/hans$20blix$20dadge/uk.politics.misc/oFeVcpv5TeU/DPQfQYDXRlsJ
posted by Adrian at
3:47 pm
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