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News > World

A Blair and Bush Love Affair: 'I'll Be with You Whatever'

  • Blair and Blush communicated about the Iraq invasion in a series of letters revealed by the Chilcot report.

    Blair and Blush communicated about the Iraq invasion in a series of letters revealed by the Chilcot report. | Photo: AFP

Published 6 July 2016
Opinion

Before Blair received the legal go-ahead to begin his invasion of Iraq, he supported Bush’s plans for the region.

The long-awaited Chilcot report, released Wednesday, which details a 7-years-long investigation into the U.K.’s role in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, has revealed that former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair was unequivocally behind then-U.S. President George W. Bush, news outlets reported.  

The documents, marked Secret Personal, include Tony Blair pledging to Bush "I will be with you whatever," seven months before receiving legal backing for the planned Iraq invasion.

RELATED:
5 Facts About the War Criminal Tony Blair

Blair also argues that toppling Saddam Hussein was "the right thing to do."

The memo is dated July 28, 2002, and is among 29 letters and notes sent by Blair to Bush between 2001 and 2007.

Blair wrote to Bush, “I will be with you whatever. But this is the moment to assess bluntly the difficulties. The planning on this and the strategy are the toughest yet. This is not Kosovo. This is not Afghanistan. It is not even the Gulf War.”

In the documents, the former prime minister facing accusations of war crimes admits that he is unsure of support in Britain for his plan – even among members of his own government.

He is also skeptical of whether public opinion elsewhere in the world would support such an invasion.

WATCH: Chilcot Report Reveals Tony Blair's Pledge to George W. Bush

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