British troops called up

The Prime Minister seized on the discovery of the deadly poison ricin in north London as evidence that Britain was facing a clear and present danger from terrorism. In doing so, he made an explicit connection with the preparations being made for a possible war on Iraq.

Aware that much of the British public thinks of him as the back end of George Bush's pantomime horse, he tried to show he was acting for himself.

In return, the United States ought to - as he put it - listen back to the rest of the world.

Jeremy Paxman spoke to the British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, and started by asking him what our forces will be doing if they're called into action.

GEOFF HOON:
Well obviously we will co-ordinate with our international partners. Most obviously with the United States, a range of military options that may be required should it be decided that military force is required.

PAXMAN:
Isn't it the fact of the matter that these forces could do precious little without the presence of the Americans, therefore their presence is much more important politically than it is militarily?

HOON:
On the contrary, the United States made a request to some 50 countries for military assistance and a range of help has already been offered. But clearly it is important that the United Kingdom, the United States's closest ally in the world, plays its part in supporting the decisions of the United Nations.

PAXMAN:
What is it these people can do that the Americans can't do?

HOON:
There is a coalition effort, as we saw in Afghanistan. The UK possesses vital elements of military capability. That can make a real difference in military conflict and that might prove the case again should military action be required in Iraq.

PAXMAN:
Such as?

HOON:
Well I announced today, for example, the deployment of a marine task force that could go to the Gulf and fulfil a vital role if required. I do want to emphasise that no decision has been taken about their use as yet.

PAXMAN:
So the Americans could not do that by themselves?

HOON:
Clearly it is important that there is a coalition effort and that the more countries represented, the more forces available, the more likelihood of success. Therefore we would hope that if conflict is necessary, the shorter that conflict.

PAXMAN:
Your belief is that conflict is unlikely because that is implicit in what Jack Straw said?

HOON:
No, what I am saying today and said to the House, that it is necessary for us to be preparing for a conflict in order to support the efforts the United Nations has made.

PAXMAN:
Jack Straw says the chances of war are about six to four against.

HOON:
He gave a snapshot of his assessment at the time. My job on behalf of the Government to is ensure whatever the odds on military conflict, if that is a possibility and it clearly is a possibility, we must be prepared to take on that responsibility as part of an international effort.

PAXMAN:
Do you think there will be a war?

HOON:
I believe it is necessary for us to prepare as if there might be one. In so doing we are demonstrating to Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime that we mean business and will not allow him to avoid his responsibilities to agree to the United Nations Security Council resolution.

PAXMAN:
Do you personally think there will be a war?

HOON:
I believe that it is necessary for us to prepare for the eventuality of military operations in order to sustain our position internationally.

PAXMAN:
If the weapons inspectors report on January 27th that as far as they can see, Saddam Hussein has no weapons of mass destruction, would that be an end to the matter?

HOON:
January 27th is an important date, but it is not the only date that is relevant. It is obviously part of the process of the weapons inspectors reporting back to the Security Council. If tomorrow they discovered a weapon of mass destruction or they discovered clear abuse by Saddam Hussein of the requirement of co-operation, then they would report back immediately. January 27th is part of the process set out in the Security Council resolution.

PAXMAN:
As far as you are concerned January 27th could come and go, and there could still be a war against Iraq, despite the fact that no weapons of mass destruction have been found?

HOON:
What is important is that we continue to go through the process set out in Security Council resolution 14.41 and as I say, January 27th is part of that process. It's part of the requirement made to report regularly to the Security Council. But of itself, it is not absolutely critical. It is not a make-or-break date. Therefore the inspection could carry on after the 27th, providing there was a reason for it to do so.

PAXMAN:
Can you imagine circumstances under which the United States could deploy forces to the Gulf without there being British forces alongside them?

HOON:
I believe that we will take that decision as and when necessary in the light particularly of the report by the weapons inspectors of our analysis of the declaration made by Iraq of a range of other circumstances.

PAXMAN:
It is conceivable? It is obviously conceivable. If you have not taken that decision now, it is obviously conceivable that American forces could be deployed to the Gulf without the presence of British forces?

HOON:
It is conceivable. Can I make clear that these are decisions that would be taken in consultation with the United States, with other members of the Security Council and the international community. It is part of British Government policy. Our objectives published today by Jack Straw to ensure the agreement of Iraq to that Security Council resolution and to take all necessary steps to achieve the disarmament of Iraq to remove the threat of their weapons of mass destruction.

PAXMAN:
Doesn't the fact that men have been arrested in London, in position of one of the deadliest substances known to man, indicate that you ought to be spending a great deal more attention, a great deal closer to home, rather than considering deploying troops in the Gulf as some sort of political cover for the Americans?

PAXMAN:
It is a very disturbing development. But it also demonstrates the success of our security and policing operations that we were able to track these people down and locate their material and arrest them. So I would regard it as a very considerable success for the country's police force.

PAXMAN:
But it has nothing whatever to do with what you are proposing to do in Iraq?

HOON:
It is part of our overall effort to ensure that the world is a safer and more secure place. Terrorism is disturbing, particularly so close to home. But, at the same time, we have an obligation as part of a member of the UN Security Council, to ensure that the threat posed by Saddam Hussein cannot materialise.

PAXMAN:
Thank you.

HOON:
Thank you very much.

This transcript was produced from the teletext subtitles that are generated live for Newsnight. It has been checked against the programme as broadcast, however Newsnight can accept no responsibility for any factual inaccuracies. We will be happy to correct serious errors.