| The Exile of Saddam was assured but Bush and Blair chose war

Bush: The Egyptians are talking to Saddam Hussein. It seems that he’s indicated that he’s willing to go into exile if they let him take $1 billion and all the information that he wants about the weapons of destruction.

Aznar: Is it true that there’s a possibility of Saddam Hussein going into exile?

Bush: Yes, that possibility exists. Even that he gets assassinated.

Aznar: An exile with some guarantee?

Bush: No guarantee. He’s a thief, a terrorist, a war criminal. Compared to Saddam, Milosevic would be a Mother Teresa.

Crawford, Texas, 22 February 2003

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Short History

23 July 2002– The memorandum by David Manning, political adviser to Tony Blair, reveals that President Bush had started to plan the war, on the grounds of an existing link between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction

16 November 2002– Saddam says he would relinquish power and go into exile: he asks 3.5 billions dollars

Dossier

On 19 February 2003 the Italian Parliament with the support of Government adopted the radical proposition (345 yes, 38 no, 52 abstentions) which committed Government to seek support in all international bodies, primarily within the Security Council of the United Nations, to the option of an exiled dictator of Iraq and [...] establishment of a provisional government that will restore a control of the full exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms of all Iraqis "