The Hindu : Blair takes off the gloves on Iraq

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 05, 2002

International

International

Blair takes off the gloves on Iraq

By Hasan Suroor

The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair (right), pictured here in Sedgefield on Tuesday, strikes a similar pose to the U.S. President, George W. Bush, pictured in Crawford, Texas, in this December 31, 2001 file photo. — Reuters

LONDON SEPT. 4. In the clearest indication yet that Britain is willing to back any U.S. military intervention in Iraq, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has said that a regime change in Baghdad is the only option to remove the threat from the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

Breaking his month-long silence on the issue at a press conference in his Sedgefield constituency on Tuesday, Mr. Blair played down the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw's emphasis on the return of U.N. weapons' inspectors to Iraq as a way to avert the war saying there seemed to be little sign of Mr. Hussein agreeing to give the inspectors the kind of unfettered access required under the U.N. resolutions.

He also refused to commit that Britain would insist on a fresh U.N. mandate before agreeing to support an attack on Iraq.

Mr. Blair's hawkish remarks, ahead of a visit to the U.S to meet the President, George W. Bush, were widely interpreted to mean that he had started to prepare Britain for a pre-emptive strike despite growing public opposition and threat of a virtual revolt within his own party on the issue.

In a stark warning, he said: "Either the regime starts to function in an entirely different way — and there is not much sign of that — or the regime has to change''.

Though he insisted that no decision had been taken yet, he made clear that if the U.S. eventually decided to tackle militarily, he would have no hesitation supporting it.

In what is seen as a veiled criticism of his European allies who are opposed to an attack on Iraq, he said: "If Britain and if Europe want to be taken seriously as people facing up to these issues (of threat from terrorism), then our place is facing them with America, in partnership, but with America.''

There was a touch of annoyance when asked whether there was sufficient evidence against Iraq to justify an attack.

"One of the sights I have found bizarre is the sight of very decent liberal- minded people lining up and saying we should not do anything about the regime of Saddam Hussein,'' he said insisting that Mr. Hussein was "still trying to develop chemical. Biological (and) potentially nuclear capability.'' And to allow him to do so "without any let or hindrance... would be irresponsible''.

Mr. Blair said that a dossier documenting the threat from Iraq would be published soon. The dossier was promised months ago, but was shelved prompting speculation that the Government had not been able to gather clinching evidence.

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