Tony Blair ‘committed to Iraq war a year before invasion’

Former British prime minister Tony Blair was committed to joining the US in the Iraq war a year before the 2003 invasion.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair was committed to joining the US in the Iraq war a year before the 2003 invasion, files suggest.

The revelations focus on a memo allegedly written by former US secretary of state Colin Powell on March 28, 2002, to then president George W. Bush a week before the US leader’s meeting with Mr Blair at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

“On Iraq, Blair will be with us should military operations be necessary,” wrote Mr Powell, in a document the Mail on Sunday published on its website.

“He is convinced on two points: the threat is real; and success against Saddam will yield more regional success.”

Mr Powell was referring to former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, who was ousted in the 2003 US-led invasion.

The memo and other files were part of a batch of secret emails held on the private server of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, which US courts have forced her to reveal.

A separate quote from Mr Powell assured Mr Bush “the UK will follow our lead in the Middle East”, while other statements suggest Mr Blair’s willingness to present “strategic, tactical and public affairs lines” to strengthen public support for the Iraq war.

Late last night, a spokesman for Mr Blair said: “This story is nothing new. The memo is consistent with what Mr Blair was saying publicly at the time.”

AFP