Blair and Bush right about Iraq threat - Lord Hurd

Military action against Iraq is justified if Saddam Hussein continues to refuse to allow United Nations weapons inspectors back into his country, former foreign secretary Lord Hurd said today.

Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George Bush were right to draw attention to the danger posed by Iraq’s development of biological, chemical and possibly nuclear weapons, he said.

The UN Security Council should issue a new resolution requiring Saddam to admit weapons inspectors or face US bombs.

Lord Hurd, who was Conservative foreign secretary during the Gulf War a decade ago, said: ‘‘It would be clear from its terms that if the Iraqis rejected it that would be a justification for military action against Saddam Hussein.’’

He told BBC News Online: ‘‘We must hope that the diplomatic pressure on Iraq and the threat of military force may be enough to produce an adequate change in their policy.

‘‘War should always be a last resort; but it may come to that.’’