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Among the events recorded are:
A planning conference between the US, UK and Australia � the three leading members of the eventual coalition in the war � on June 28 2002.
A discussion between Britain and US commander General Tommy Franks on August 13 2002 on the possibility of sending UK forces to Turkey, on Iraq�s northern border.
A US planning order issued on October 7 2002 for operations on the �northern front� � an option which was blocked in the event by Turkey�s refusal to allow coalition troops to attack Iraq from its territory.
The publication of a full battle plan, codenamed 1003V, on October 31 2002, eight days before Resolution 1441 and a month before UN inspectors under Hans Blix began their hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
On 16 July 2002, three weeks after the planning conference, Mr Blair told MPs that there were �no decisions that have been taken about military action� in Iraq.
And a few days earlier, on July 13, the Financial Times quoted a Ministry of Defence official as saying: �We don�t have current plans for an invasion or attack on Iraq in any form.�
Later in the month, Mr Blair fended off questions about Iraq at his regular press conference, saying �we are all getting a bit ahead of ourselves on the issue of Iraq�.
And as tensions around Iraq mounted with the publication of the September 2002 dossier on WMD, the passing of Resolution 1441 and the failed attempt to secure a second resolution specifically authorising military action, the Government continued to insist that Iraqi disarmament was the aim, not military action to remove Saddam.
Originally posted by Gazrok
That's what military brass and think-tanks do....they plan for wars that may or may not ever occur. That is their very job. I'd bet my next paycheck that in some file, there is a plan to invade Luxembourg! That doesn't mean it will ever happen.... It's just done so that the leaders have the information they need in the event of a crisis, right then, not days later...jeez....