Bush kept watchful eye on Pakistan, Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON—Two months before the Iraq war, President George W. Bush told British Prime Minister Tony Blair that his concern over the spread of weapons of mass destruction went beyond Iraq and mentioned Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, The New York Times said.
The details of a January 30, 2003 telephone conversation between the two leaders, according to notes taken by a Blair adviser, is reported in a US edition of “Lawless World,” by Philippe Sands, the newspaper said.
The reference, in one sentence in the document the daily said it has reviewed, said Bush “wanted to go beyond Iraq in dealing with WMD proliferation, mentioning in particular Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea and Pakistan”.
Taken down by Matthew Rycroft, Blair’s private secretary at the time, the comment would be significant since Bush at the time often mentioned in public Iraq, Iran and North Korea as members of an “axis of evil,” but never close allies. The New York Times said neither the White House or the British Embassy here would comment on the report.
Details of the January 30, 2003 conversation between Bush and Blair, the daily said, were not included in an earlier edition of Sands’ book published in Britain in February. The notes taken by Rycroft, marked secret and personal, were addressed to Simon McDonald, then the principal private secretary to the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, the daily said.
The daily said the document it reviewed also showed that Bush and Blair discussing seeking a second UN resolution giving Iraq an ultimatum to give up weapons of mass destruction or face military action.
Bush agreed with Blair that “it made sense to try for a second resolution, which he would love to have,” but also said he was “worried about Saddam playing tricks,” and the possibility UN weapons inspectors would report that Saddam Hussein “was beginning to cooperate”.
“His biggest concern was looking weak,” Rycroft said in his notes. The United States and Britain launched military action in March 2003 without such a UN resolution, arguing earlier resolutions authorized the use of force given Saddam Hussein’s non-compliance.—Agencies