On 19 March, at Prime Minister's questions, I
asked Tony Blair about US influence on the world order (see below).
My concern was echoed by retired US Rear Admiral Gene La Rocque in an interview on the BBC
World Service as war broke out in the early hours of 20 March. Whilst expressing the wish
that the US would use its power responsibly he said "We have the ability to
spread terror in the world. There is no defence against our technology".19
March 2003
Q5. [103491] Lynne Jones (Birmingham, Selly Oak): Saddam
Hussein has been offered immunity from prosecution if he leaves Iraq. On what authority
was that offer made, what message does it send to other corrupt regimes, and what is my
right hon. Friend's strategy for a return to a world order in which decisions are taken
lawfully through the UN, rather than by the world's superpower? Or is it too late? With
his help, has the foundation stone for the pax Americana already been laid?
The Prime Minister: First, the reason why we were
prepared to offer such a possibility was to avoid war, which is, after all, what I thought
my hon. Friend wanted. If she was saying that President Bush had been too soft and should
have said that we would remove Saddam Hussein in any event, I could understand that. We
wanted to try to avoid conflict by having him voluntarily disarm. Then, if he refused to
do so, we were prepared to give a further chance to resolve the matter peacefully by
getting him to leave the country. Now we are faced with the prospect of leaving him in
place without disarming him, or making sure that we remove him from power. I earnestly ask
my hon. Friend to consider this.
If we remove Saddam from power, as I believe that we will
have to because it is the only way of disarming Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, the
people who will rejoice most will be the Iraqi people who will be free of a murderous
tyrant who has done nothing but damage to his country. If she wants to know what Iraq
could be like, she should talk to the people in northern Iraq who, because of British and
American pilots in the no-fly zone, have been able to build something of their country,
and she will see that the true impulse of the Iraqi people is for greater freedom,
democracy, prosperity and the rule of law.
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