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Blair Attacks CriticsTue, January 14, 2003Source: Ananova NewsTony Blair has mounted an uncompromising defence of his hardline stance on IraqTony Blair has mounted an uncompromising defence of his hardline stance on Iraq. He warns it would be "absolutely disastrous" for world security if Saddam Hussein was not stripped of his weapons of mass destruction. Despite growing unrest among Labour MPs at the prospect of war with Baghdad, the Prime Minister made clear Britain would join America in using military force to disarm Iraq if it did not give up its weapons voluntarily. He used his monthly Downing Street press conference to attack the critics of British involvement in possible military action, describing them as "naive and misguided". Mr Blair expressed confidence the UN Security Council would pass a fresh resolution specifically authorising military action if Iraq did not disarm. However he also made clear that, if necessary, Britain and the US would go it alone, warning that opponents of military action within the UN must not be allowed to impose an "unreasonable or unilateral block" on the use of force. "Don't be under any doubts whatever. If there is a breach of the UN resolution that we have passed then action will follow," Mr Blair said. "When the UN has taken a stand on weapons of mass destruction, where they have said to Iraq you have to disarm yourself of these weapons, these chemical, nuclear, biological weapons, are people really saying that if there is a breach of that UN resolution that no action should follow? "If we did that we would send a message to the outside world which would, in my view be absolutely disastrous for the security of our world." |
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