MoD Information

Saddam Compared to Hitler: Blair

Sat, March 01, 2003

Source: Ananova News

Tony Blair has compared Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler,

Tony Blair has compared Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to Adolf Hitler, and warned that opponents of war might be remembered in the same way as those who appeased the Nazi leader.

Mr Blair acknowledged the strength of opposition to war among many members of his own Labour Party and the political difficulties it created for him.

But he warned that anti-war protests in Britain sent a "mixed message" to Baghdad, encouraging Saddam to believe that the West was not serious about dealing with him.

Speaking to The Guardian just days after 121 Labour backbenchers rebelled against his stance in a parliamentary vote, Mr Blair said: "I am sufficiently well-versed in politics now to realise the strength of the opposition and the difficulties it can put me in. I am not oblivious to that.

"In the end, people have to vote how they feel. But my job is to say how I feel why I believe that what we are doing is right and why I believe that to what the opponents of my position want us to do would be very, very dangerous for our country and the world."

While saying he was "proud" of the quality of debate before Wednesday's vote and respected the sincerity of those opposing him, Mr Blair reminded his critics that many people had sought to appease fascism in the 1930s for the sake of avoiding war.

"A majority of decent and well-meaning people said there was no need to confront Hitler and that those who did were war-mongers," he said.

"When people decided not to confront fascism, they were doing the popular thing, they were doing it for good reasons and they were good people but they made the wrong decision."

Mr Blair rejected suggestions that he had been dragged into confrontation with Iraq by George Bush, insisting that he had raised concerns about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction at his first meeting with the US president, before the September 11 atrocities focused the world's attention on terrorism.