But back away now from this confrontation, and future conflicts will be infinitely worse and more devastating.”…”Confidence is the key to prosperity Insecurity spreads like a contagion So people crave stability and order The threat is chaos And there are two begetters of chaos. Tyrannical regimes with WMD, and extreme terrorist groups who profess a perverted and false view of Islam.”…”The purpose of terrorism lies not just in the violent act itself It is in producing terror. …”What would any tyrannical regime possessing WMD think, viewing the history of the world’s diplomatic dance with Saddam? That our capacity to pass firm resolutions is only matched by our feebleness in implementing them.”That is why this indulgence has to stop Because it is dangerous It is dangerous if such regimes disbelieve us. It will determine the pattern of international politics for the next generation. It will determine the way that Britain and the world confront the central security threat of the 21st century; the development of the UN; the relationship between Europe and the US; the relations within the EU, and the way the US engages with the rest of the world. But we are in the final stages because, after 12 years of failing to disarm him, now is the time when we have to decide.”Speech opening the Commons debate on Iraq, 18 March 2003″The outcome of this issue will now determine more than the fate of the Iraqi regime and more than the future of the Iraqi people, for so long brutalised by Saddam.

And sometimes that threat is difficult to discern in an immediate sense, but it is real. “The terrorists, we know, will stop at nothing, and if we allow the proliferation and development by unstable states of these types of weapons, then we will put at risk not just our security but our prosperity for the future. And if we fail to act at this time and send a clear signal of our common intent, if we fail to act, the result will not be peace, it will simply be conflict postponed.”Speech after the Bush/Blair/Aznar Azores Summit, 17 March 2003″So now we have reached the point of decision, and we make a final appeal for there to be that strong unified message on behalf of the international community that lays down a clear ultimatum to Saddam that authorises force if he continues to defy the will of the whole of the international community set out in Resolution 1441.”We will do all we can in the short time that remains to make a final round of contacts to see whether there is a way through this impasse. But the reason why we believe that this issue does indeed have to be resolved is because we understand the threat that weapons of mass destruction, chemical, biological, potentially nuclear weapons, and the link with international terrorism can pose to the security of our people. But even now he can save it by complying with the UN’s demand. Even now, we are prepared to go the extra step to achieve disarmament peacefully I do not want war I do not believe anyone in this House wants war.

But disarmament peacefully can only happen with Saddam’s active co-operation.”Twelve years of bitter experience teaches that. And if he refuses to co-operate, as he is refusing now, and we fail to act, what then? Saddam in charge of Iraq, his WMD intact, the will of the international community set at nothing, the UN tricked again, Saddam hugely strengthened and emboldened ­ does anyone truly believe that will mean peace? And when we turn to deal with other threats, where will our authority be? And when we make a demand next time, what will our credibility be? “This is not a road to peace but folly and weakness that will only mean that the conflict, when it comes, is more bloody, less certain and greater in its devastation.”Press conference with Spanish PM Aznar, 28 February 2003″We are in agreement that we want to see the issue of the disarmament of Iraq resolved through the UN Of course we do. If there are one million, that is still less than the number of people who died in the wars he started.”Speech to the House of Commons, 25 February 2003″To those who say we are rushing to war, I say this. We are now 12 years after Saddam was first told by the UN to disarm; nearly six months after President Bush made his speech to the UN accepting the UN route to disarmament; nearly four months on from Resolution 1441; and even now, today, we are offering Saddam the prospect of voluntary disarmament through the UN.”I detest his regime.