Blair rejects calls for pause in bombing

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, OCT. 18. The British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, has rejected calls from his own party MPs and aid agencies for a pause in bombing in Afghanistan saying it would be seen as a ``sign of weakness'' by the Taliban. He said there was ``no alternative'' to military action, and indicated that a new phase involving deployment of ground troops was imminent.

His uncompromising remarks which came first during a meeting with Labour MPs and then in the Commons failed to quell the increasing concern as three leading British aid agencies warned of a looming humanitarian crisis if sufficient food supplies did not reach the people before the onset of winter, in the next few weeks. The mood among Labour backbenchers, including at least two former ministers, is said to be so hostile to continued bombing that, according to one newspaper report, ``dissident'' MPs have been asked to clear their ``media appearances'' with party whips.

In the Commons where the issue dominated for the second day, Mr Blair said: ``I find it extraordinary for anyone to look at this situation and not realise the absolute necessity to act and then to carry it through.'' He said the only alternative to military action in Afghanistan was to ``sit back and let them (the Taliban) carry on doing it.'' He assured MPs that everything was being done to facilitate humanitarian aid but the most important thing for the Afghan people was to be ``released from the tyranny of the Taliban regime as swiftly as possible.''

Mr Blair, who had a 25-minute phone conversation with the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, told MPs that allied forces were in the process of ``establishing the ability to take further military action'' against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's network. Observers said this suggested that ground troops could be deployed soon - a hint also contained in the Defence Secretary, Mr. Geoff Hoon's reported remarks that military targets had been exhausted. Mr. Blair's hint at the next phase of action coincided with a similar statement by Mr. Bush.

The non-stop bombing and reports of civilian casualties, plus the food shortages in Afghanistan are forcing even the supporters of military action to call for a temporary halt. The Liberal Democratic Party, which is supporting the action, saw the first sign of dissent in its ranks when its spokesman for international development, Mr. Jenny Tonge, warned that if the strikes were not halted ``we not only condemn hundreds of thousands to death by starvation but we endanger the coalition against terrorism''.

The Guardian reported that the ``predominant Labour backbench mood is one of unease and hope that the Prime Minister's strategy will work.''

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : U.S., Malaysia play down differences
Next     : Hindu girl attacked in London