The Hindu : International : Powell in row over neo-con `crazies'

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Monday, Sep 13, 2004

International

International

Powell in row over neo-con `crazies'

By Martin Bright

LONDON, SEPT. 12. A furious row has broken out over claims in a new book by BBC broadcaster James Naughtie that the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, described neo-conservatives in the Bush administration as `[expletive] crazies' during the build-up to war in Iraq.

Mr. Powell's extraordinary outburst is alleged to have taken place during a telephone conversation with the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw. The two became close friends during the intense negotiations in the summer of 2002 to build an international coalition for intervention via the U.N. The `crazies' described by the BBC radio presenter are said to be the U.S. Vice-President, Dick Cheney, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz.

Last week, the offices of Mr. Powell and Mr. Straw contacted Public Affairs, the U.S. publishers of Mr. Naughtie's book, to say they would vigorously deny the claims if publication went ahead. But as no legal action was threatened, the U.S. launch of the book, `The Accidental American: Tony Blair and the Presidency', will proceed as planned this week.

Provocatively, the phrase will take pride of place on the cover, according to sources at the publishers.

Mr. Powell's concerns were said to have chimed with Mr. Straw's and those of Mr. Blair himself — that if America acted without U.N. sanction, important allies would be lost for the West Asia peace process and the war on terror.

Mr. Cheney and his allies were preparing for a spring war and did not wish to be deflected by the U.N. inspection process. Mr. Powell is thought to have been terrified that the strategy of the `crazies' would alienate the Blair government, which believed it needed U.N. backing for the war to win over Parliament and the British public.

Entirely accurate

John Kampfner, author of `Blair's Wars', said Mr. Naughtie's characterisation of the feverish political atmosphere of the summer of 2002 was entirely accurate. "The British Government saw Powell as the most significant voice of sanity in the U.S. administration. At different times during this very difficult period, the Brits used Powell to get across their point of view to the White House. But, bizarrely, Powell sometimes also used Blair to pass messages to Bush."

Mr. Kampfner reported that in July 2002, Mr. Blair sent foreign policy adviser David Manning to Washington to deliver a letter hinting that, without a second U.N. resolution, Britain would not be able to join a war in Iraq. —

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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