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CNN Live At Daybreak
Tony Blair in Parliamentary Hot Seat
Aired April 23, 2003 - 06:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He may find himself in the hot seat with his parliament. They have not forgotten his platform for war in Iraq. But since no such -- and weapons of mass destruction was the reason he, too, wanted to go to war with Iraq, but since no such weapons have been found, some parliament members are looking to Mr. Blair for an explanation.
Here is CNN's Robin Oakley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The aye's to the right: 434. The no's to the left: 124.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SR. EUROPOEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): When British lawmakers on March the 18th backed military action in Iraq, they did so because Tony Blair told them Iraqi weapons represented a threat to international peace and security. Regime change was not the objective of British lawmakers. They authorized sending troops to get rid of the weapons, which ministers promised them were the legal justification for war.
Mr. Blair remains sure of his ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the right honorable gentleman still believe that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction?
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Yes, we do. And there is no doubt at all that over the years, Iraq has possessed those weapons. What we are being asked to believe is that having effectively pushed the inspectors out in December, 1998 and then they voluntarily gave them up, I've always thought that was incredible.
OAKLEY: The British MPs, who backed the war reluctantly, are now asking evermore loudly why no smoking gun has been found. If the weapons were such a threat, say some, why weren't they used in Saddam's defense?
Many MPs buried their pre-war doubts when assured that existence of the weapons was confirmed by intelligence that couldn't be disclosed for fear of prejudicing sources. Now, some of them fear they were duped. They want an investigation into the intelligence services.
Weapons experts point out that before the war, Bush and Blair talked of weapons not accounted for, not weapons ready to use. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My guess is that at the end of the day there is not likely to be large quantities of chemical or biological weapons. I think much more likely will be the discovery of equipment, documents on research and development, basic materials that could be used to make weapons at some point in the future when Iraq felt that the coast was clear.
OAKLEY (on camera): One sudden discovery can yet alter the political picture dramatically. But for many British MPs, a war in which thousands died still requires confirmation of the cause for which it was launched. Their suspicions, they insist, will remain until there is some independent corroboration of those weapons of mass destruction.
Robin Oakley, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired April 23, 2003 - 06:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He may find himself in the hot seat with his parliament. They have not forgotten his platform for war in Iraq. But since no such -- and weapons of mass destruction was the reason he, too, wanted to go to war with Iraq, but since no such weapons have been found, some parliament members are looking to Mr. Blair for an explanation.
Here is CNN's Robin Oakley.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The aye's to the right: 434. The no's to the left: 124.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SR. EUROPOEAN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): When British lawmakers on March the 18th backed military action in Iraq, they did so because Tony Blair told them Iraqi weapons represented a threat to international peace and security. Regime change was not the objective of British lawmakers. They authorized sending troops to get rid of the weapons, which ministers promised them were the legal justification for war.
Mr. Blair remains sure of his ground.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the right honorable gentleman still believe that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction?
TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Yes, we do. And there is no doubt at all that over the years, Iraq has possessed those weapons. What we are being asked to believe is that having effectively pushed the inspectors out in December, 1998 and then they voluntarily gave them up, I've always thought that was incredible.
OAKLEY: The British MPs, who backed the war reluctantly, are now asking evermore loudly why no smoking gun has been found. If the weapons were such a threat, say some, why weren't they used in Saddam's defense?
Many MPs buried their pre-war doubts when assured that existence of the weapons was confirmed by intelligence that couldn't be disclosed for fear of prejudicing sources. Now, some of them fear they were duped. They want an investigation into the intelligence services.
Weapons experts point out that before the war, Bush and Blair talked of weapons not accounted for, not weapons ready to use. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My guess is that at the end of the day there is not likely to be large quantities of chemical or biological weapons. I think much more likely will be the discovery of equipment, documents on research and development, basic materials that could be used to make weapons at some point in the future when Iraq felt that the coast was clear.
OAKLEY (on camera): One sudden discovery can yet alter the political picture dramatically. But for many British MPs, a war in which thousands died still requires confirmation of the cause for which it was launched. Their suspicions, they insist, will remain until there is some independent corroboration of those weapons of mass destruction.
Robin Oakley, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
