Tutu attacks Blair on Iraq
observer.co.uk
Tutu attacks Blair on Iraq
Gaby Hinsliff, chief political correspondent
Sunday January 5, 2003
The Observer
Archbishop Desmond Tutu will attack Tony Blair today for his 'mind-boggling' support for military action against Iraq, amid signals that British troops are to be ordered to the Gulf within days.
Tutu, a Nobel peace prize winner, said he was 'shocked' to see the Prime Minister lining up with hawks, adding that the focus on Iraq glossed over the issue of weapons of mass destruction in Europe, India and Pakistan. Ministers are expected to announce soon the mobilisation of thousands of reservists and an initial maritime force.
'Many of us are deeply saddened to see a great country such as the United States aided and abetted extraordinarily by Britain. I mean [it is] mind-boggling to discover that your Prime Minister... oh dear me, I never thought I would see... I have had a great deal of time for your Prime Minister, but I'm shocked,' Tutu will tell ITV's Jonathan Dimbleby Special programme today.
'To see a powerful country use its power frequently unilaterally, I mean the United States says, "You do this" to the world - "If you don't do it we will do it" - that's sad, that's sad.'
Blair was back at work in Downing Street last night after a new year holiday in Egypt interrupted by talks with the Egyptian government and Jordan's King Abdullah over the Middle East.
Despite the expected deployment, senior Ministers are stressing that they still hope war can be averted and that the massing of British and US troops in the Gulf will be enough to prompt Saddam Hussein into retreat - or encourage a coup against him. One said the odds were now '60-40 against' an all-out war.
The criticism from Tutu - who supported the war in Kosovo - underlines the importance to Downing Street of convincing public opinion that it is not rushing headlong into a war.
Controversially, the South African archbishop added that, while al-Qaeda was a terrorist organisation, many of its followers were 'not lunatic fringe, many of them are quite intelligent', and that leaders had to ask why such people 'should be willing to pilot a plane and go to their deaths'.
His words follow outspoken attacks by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, on issues from the war to the Government's fondness for market solutions in public services.
That prompted Home Secretary David Blunkett last week to hit back, warning that Williams had got 'important things wrong' over public services, in a sign of the Government's frustration with attacks from the pulpit.
However, the Chief Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sacks, has broken ranks with other churches by defending the need for military action against Saddam if it were led by a 'broad international coalition' and attempted to avoid civilian casualties.
The Ministry of Defence said last night that it was continuing to prepare contingency plans for all options in the Gulf and was not ruling out the possibility of a statement to the Commons this week. Orders are expected to be given this week or next, with Ministers careful to choreograph the announcement both with American deployments and diplomatic initiatives. |
