‘Plan to topple Saddam made months ahead’

US President George W. Bush and British PM Tony Blair were determined to topple Saddam Hussein at least nine months before they launched the war in Iraq, British documents leaked in a Sunday newspaper say.

The Sunday Times printed what it said were secret minutes of a Cabinet meeting held in July 2002 to discuss Iraq. According to the minutes, Blair spoke to his Cabinet explicitly in terms of toppling Saddam. ‘‘If the political context were right, people would support regime change,’’ Blair is recorded as saying. ‘‘The two key issues were whether the military plan worked and whether we had the political strategy to give the military plan the space to work.’’

Blair’s Downing Street office declined comment on the issue. —Reuters