Category : World
Service; Radio
4
Date : 15.03.2004
Printable version
Former UK
Chief of Defence Staff Lord Boyce talks of his concern about the legality
of war; King Abdullah of Jordan says he knew from George Bush's body
language that war was inevitable six months beforehand and Richard Haass,
former Director of Policy and Planning at the State Department, describes
war as a policy decision which could have been put off for six weeks,
six months or six years.
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Their voices can be heard at 9.05am on Wednesday
17 March in The Jigsaw in Pieces: the World after Iraq, a
new World Service series presented by 91Èȱ¬ journalist and Today
programme presenter Edward Stourton, which gives the inside story
of the build up to war in Iraq.
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The series is entirely made up of interviews with a
high powered cast of insiders. World leaders, foreign ministers and
military chiefs provide their unique and frank perspectives.
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There is testimony from UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw;
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom; Nabil Sha'ath, the Palestinian
Authority Foreign Minister; Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov; Geoff
Hoon, UK Defence Secretary; General Jay Garner, Director of the Office
of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq; Spanish Foreign
Minister Ana Palacio; UN Secretary General Kofi Annan; weapons inspector
Hans Blix; and many more.
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Timing
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Former Director of Policy and Planning at the State
Department Richard Haass says: "The administration essentially
chose to fight a war at this time. But there was no reason that war
couldn't have been put off for six days or six weeks or six months or
six years."
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King Abdullah of Jordan says he met Bush in the summer
of 2002, well before Resolution 1441, went home and told his government:
"Let's plan that there is going to be a war."
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Preparation
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Former Chief of Defence Staff Lord Boyce describes how
a "small cell" began military preparations - away from the
public eye - while UN Resolution 1441 was being negotiated.
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Foreign Secretary Jack Straw: "We would have had
in any event, had there been a continuing failure as there was by Saddam,
to have taken military action some time between March, April, maybe
early May because otherwise the troops there would have had to have
started to be withdrawn and they would have lost their battle readiness."
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Legality
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Lord Boyce on his concern about the legality of going
to war: "... it did worry me and it was very important to be able
to reassure them [the troops] that what they were doing was lawful.
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"This is standard business but I wanted to make
sure that our people - when I wrote my directive, because at the end
of the day, when the actual action started, it starts with my signing
a directive to the Chief of Operations saying 'Here's what I want you
to get on and do', paragraph one is you know, 'What you are required
to do is lawful' - because it was important not only for our people
at the front line, it was also important for their families."
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Notes to Editors
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Full transcripts of the programmes are available from
the 91Èȱ¬ World Service Press Office.
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The series is produced by Sarah Harrison and Mark Savage.
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The series is also being broadcast on Radio 4
from Sunday 21 March under the title Fallout from Terror.
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Listen online from Wednesday 17 March at -
