Saddam Hussein

"We did at the very end, I think on March 10, get a report that chemical weapons might have remained disassembled and Saddam hadn't yet ordered their assembly," he said. "There was also a suggestion that Iraq might lack warheads capable of effective dispersal of agents."

Read more: Blair knew Saddam did not have WMDs | In this article: Tony Blair, Iraq, UN, Iraq War, Liberal Democrat, Nick Clegg, and Edward Davey

"We did, I think on March 10, get a report that chemical weapons might have remained disassembled and Saddam hadn't yet ordered their assembly," he said. "There was also a suggestion that Iraq might lack warheads capable of effective dispersal of agents."

Read more: Tony Blair was told 10 days BEFORE Iraq invasion that Saddam had dismantled WMD, inquiry hears | In this article: Tony Blair, Iraq, Al Qaida, UN, God, 2003 Invasion, and London

"In terms of my concerns on coming into the job in 2001, I would say we put Libya and Iran ahead of Iraq," he said. Dowse said while Saddam had supported Palestinian groups, his government's contact with al-Qaida-linked groups was sporadic. "There had been nothing that looked like a relationship between the Iraqis and al-Qaida,"

Read more: Officials say Iraq not UK's main worry before war | In this article: Iraq, Britain, Al-qaida, Iraq War, Tony Blair, Iran, Libya, and 2003 Invasion

"We did, at the very end, I think on the 10th of March, get a report that chemical weapons might have remained disassembled and Saddam hadn't yet ordered their assembly," Ehrman said. "And there was also a suggestion that Iraq might lack warheads capable of effective dispersal of agents."

Read more: Officials say Iraq not UK's main worry before war | In this article: Iraq, Britain, Iraq War, Al-qaida, Tony Blair, London, Iran, and Libya

Ehrman, now ambassador to China, said: "We did, I think on March 10, get a report that chemical weapons might have remained disassembled and Saddam had not yet ordered their assembly. There was also a suggestion that Iraq might lack warheads capable of effective dispersal of agents."

Read more: Saddam had 'few links' to al-Qaida | In this article: Al-qaida, Iraq, Tony Blair, Iraq War, Gulf War, and 2003 Invasion

"We heard people in Washington suggesting that there might be some link between Saddam and [Osama] Bin Laden." he said. "We began to get that sort of voice early on. "

Read more: Iraq inquiry: Britain rejected regime change as illegal in 2001 | In this article: Britain, Iraq, Washington, Tony Blair, United Nations, US, and Iraq War

"When the President of the United States looks at you and tells you something, there should be some trust." Kerry had spoken before the war about the sorts of weapons many believed Saddam Hussein had. On the Senate floor on October 9, 2002, he said that "According to the CIA's report, all U.S. intelligence experts agree that Iraq is seeking nuclear weapons. There is little question that Saddam Hussein wants to develop nuclear weapons."

Read more: John Kerry | In this article: John Kerry, George H.W. Bush, Contras, Massachusetts, St. Christopher, Purple Heart, and Catholic Church

Saddam went on to say, "We hope your presence as guests here will not be for too long. Your presence here, and in other places, is meant to prevent the scourge of war."

Read more: Gulf War | In this article: Iraq, Scud, United States, Gulf War, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Baghdad, George H. W. Bush, and Israel

On the execution day, Hussein said, "I spent my whole life fighting the infidels and the intruders, .. I destroyed the invaders and the Persians."

Read more: Anti-Iranian sentiment | In this article: Iran, Islam, Mawali, Betty Mahmoody, United States, United Nations, and Iraq

Citing the wishes of relatives of Hussein's victims, he said, "Our respect for human rights requires us to execute him. "

Read more: Nouri al-Maliki | In this article: Nouri al-Maliki, Islamic Dawa Party, United States, Iraq, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iran, Hillary Clinton, and Carl Levin