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Hussein, Saddam

Britain Commits to Removing Saddam Hussein from Power in Iraq

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Tony Blair yesterday committed Britain to working with the United States to secure the removal of President Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq. The Prime Minister said he was looking with the Americans at ways in which opposition parties could be bolstered and the possibility of removing Saddam Hussein altogether. Britain and the US were "literally minutes" away from launching airstrikes against Iraq on Saturday, and Blair promised he would not hesitate in ordering future strikes. Blair also revealed that a private warning had been sent to Saddam through the Iraqi permanent representative at the United Nations last Thursday that a substantial military strike was imminent.

Key Takeaways:

  • Tony Blair committed Britain to working with the US to remove President Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.
  • Blair said he was looking at ways to bolster opposition parties in Iraq to improve the possibility of removing Saddam Hussein altogether.
  • Britain and the US were "literally minutes" away from launching airstrikes against Iraq on Saturday.
  • Blair promised he would not hesitate in ordering future strikes against Iraq if Saddam obstructs the work of inspectors.
  • A private warning was sent to Saddam through the Iraqi permanent representative at the United Nations last Thursday that a substantial military strike was imminent.
  • Blair gave final authorisation for the start of the attack on Saturday morning.
  • The UK's weight in the planned strike would have been substantial, including nearly 20 per cent of the tactical bomber effort.
  • Britain and America would work together to help in the propaganda war against Saddam, by funding dissident radio stations.
  • President Clinton said he would support a change of government in Iraq, and Blair shared this view.
  • The goal of policy was to diminish and to degrade the capability in weapons of mass destruction, not to remove Saddam Hussein.
  • Saddam's fear of force has been exposed, according to Blair.

Statistics:

  • Britain would have contributed nearly 20 per cent of the tactical bomber effort against Iraq.
  • The world could see more clearly than ever that Saddam's fear of force is greater than his courage, according to Blair.

Sources:

  • "TONY BLAIR yesterday committed Britain to working with the United States to secure the removal of President Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq" - The Times, Copyright (C) The Times, 1998
  • "He has now exposed the fact that his fear is greater than his courage" - The Times, Copyright (C) The Times, 1998
  • "Downing Street said later that Mr Blair's words reflected the view that Iraq, the region and the world would be better off if Saddam were not in power" - The Times, Copyright (C) The Times, 1998
  • "President Clinton said yesterday that he would support a change of government in Iraq, and Mr Blair told the Commons that he shared the President's view" - The Times, Copyright (C) The Times, 1998

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