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British attempts to improve postwar planning for Iraq 'ignored by US'
British attempts to improve "dire" planning for the aftermath of the Iraq invasion were repeatedly ignored by the US, the inquiry into the war heard today.
Tony Blair raised concerns directly with George Bush amid alarm in Whitehall at the state of the Pentagon's preparations.
But senior figures in Washington had a "real blind spot" and assumed there would be "dancing in streets" when the invasion took place, senior diplomat Edward Chaplin told the inquiry.
"We tried to point out that was extremely optimistic," he said.
Chaplin, who was head of the Middle East section of the Foreign Office at the time of the March 2003 invasion, said there was "a pretty dire state of lack of planning".
There was "a touching belief [in Washington] that we shouldn't worry so much about the aftermath because it was all going to be sweetness and light".