Hans Blix: bush admin 'high on military'

US was 'high on military' ahead of Iraq war, says Hans Blix

27 Jul 2010 The Bush administration was "high on military" in the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq, former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix told the Chilcott Inquiry.

Dr Blix spoke of his disquiet at the US national security strategy published in September 2002, which set out the White House's belief in its right to launch pre-emptive attacks.

He told the official inquiry into the war against Saddam Hussein's regime that he was convinced a second UN resolution was needed to authorise military action.

He said: "The US in 2002, that time you refer to, threw it [the UN process] overboard. I think they were high on military at the time. They said, 'we can do it'."

Dr Blix added that the progress to war with Iraq was "almost unstoppable" by early 2003 and the UK was "a prisoner on that train".

He told the inquiry: "Once they went up to 250,000 men and March was approaching, I think it was unstoppable or almost unstoppable - the (US) president could have stopped it, but almost unstoppable.

"After March the heat would go up in Iraq and it would be difficult to carry out warfare."

He added: "The whole military timetable was, as rightly said, not in sync with the diplomatic timetable. Continued

Hans Blix appears at Iraq Inquiry

27 July 2010 The United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has testified at an inquiry in London in to the Iraq war.

Dr Blix criticised both the British and American governments over their role in the run up to the conflict.

When the US and Britain invaded Iraq in March 2003, Hans Blix was still pleading for more time to continue his search for weapons of mass destruction. Continued