The Hindu : Stand by U.S. on Iraq, Blair tells allies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 06, 2002

International

International

Stand by U.S. on Iraq, Blair tells allies

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON NOV. 5. The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has warned his European allies that a rift with America over Iraq would make the world a more "dangerous'' place, and called for a tougher response to the threat from weapons of mass destruction.

Mr. Blair, whose unreserved support to the U.S. stand on Iraq has been criticised in France and Germany, accused critics of trying to "play off'' Europe against America and said he knew there were people who wanted to "magnify'' trans-Atlantic differences.

"If Europe and America are divided, the world would become a more dangerous place'', he said urging both sides to show greater understanding of each other's positions. He acknowledged that America should "appreciate'' the concerns of its allies.

Mr. Blair's remarks, during his monthly press conference at Downing Street on Monday, came amid reports that the British Government planned to call up as many as 10,000 reservists in preparation for a war against Iraq. The mobilisation was described as the biggest in recent years, and The Times noted that its size gave "the clearest signal of the substantial military contribution the Government is expected to offer to a U.S.-led coalition if diplomacy fails to remove President Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.''

Mr. Blair hoped that an agreement on a new U.N. resolution, setting out a tough new regime for weapons inspections in Iraq, would be reached soon. "We are reaching a position of closure,'' he said, but declined to be "tied to a specific day.''

Domestic opposition to British backing for an attack on Iraq, meanwhile, continued to grow as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, warned that a military intervention could "rapidly and uncontrollably spiral down into chaos.'' His criticism echoed the widespread unease within Mr. Blair's own Cabinet over his all-out support for U.S. military aims in Iraq which, critics fear, could destabilise the entire region.

The opponents of a military solution attacked the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon's remarks in an interview to The Times on Tuesday demanding that Iran should be the next target after Iraq in the international campaign against terror. He described Iran as a "danger to the Middle East, to Israel and a danger to Europe'' and called for action against it "the day after'' Iraq had been dealt with.

Critics said his remarks confirmed fears that the British-U.S. stance on Iraq was likely to "legitimise'' calls for pre-emptive action against other countries.

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