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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (4135)	8/8/2002 1:58:38 AM
From: abuelita	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

War with Iraq a long way off, Blair tells ministers By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor (Filed: 08/08/2002) Tony Blair has assured senior colleagues that war against Iraq is "a long way off", Whitehall sources said yesterday as Britain distanced itself from America's desire to remove Saddam Hussein. Washington's growing signals that it is ready to take military action against Iraq, perhaps in the autumn, have caused uproar among many allies and have increased strains with London. President Bush said yesterday he would be "patient, and deliberate", and that he would "consult" allies, but kept open the option of using military force. "It is important for my fellow citizens to know that as we see threats evolving we will deal with them," he said. In Britain, however, the Government is trying to soothe jitters. Mike O'Brien, the Foreign Office minister, said military action was "not imminent nor inevitable". It emerged that the Prime Minister privately told some Cabinet colleagues before the parliamentary recess that no decision had been taken and there was "no prospect of war" in the coming months. Speaking in Libya, before his landmark meeting with Col Gaddafi, Mr O'Brien insisted that Britain's priority was the return of weapons inspectors rather than toppling Saddam. "Nobody wants war for the sake of it," he said, pointing out that Saddam's position would be "very different" if he were to admit inspectors. Interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Today, Mr O'Brien sidestepped questions about whether Britain supported Washington's policy of forcing "regime change" in Iraq, by military means if necessary. "Whilst regime change might well be desirable, our objective is clear," he said. "We want to see the inspectors in Iraq so that there is no threat of weapons of mass destruction from Iraq." His comments contradicted those of even the most doveish elements of the Bush administration, such as Colin Powell, Secretary of State, who has said the US is not interested in "inspections for inspections' sake", and that it remains committed to toppling Saddam. Diplomatic sources said many Bush officials were hostile to inspections because they would remove the main justification for war against Iraq - the need to stop Saddam from secretly developing weapons of mass destruction. Dick Cheney, the vice-president, said yesterday: "Many of us are sceptical that simply returning the inspectors will solve the problem." Downing Street has made clear its view that more progress has to be made on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before considering action against Iraq. British officials said a further reason for Mr Blair's hesitation was the fear of a rift within the Labour Party. "Blair knows that there will be mayhem in the Labour Party if there is a war and he is trying to keep the Left-wing happy by reassuring them that any war is a long way off," said one Whitehall source. Experts believe that it is possible to justify military action to compel Iraq to comply with resolutions demanding that Baghdad be stripped of all weapons of mass destruction. But they said bringing down a government has flimsier legal justification. Britain's qualms appears to be having little effect in Washington, where Mr Bush has this week reviewed military plans for action in Iraq. The Washington Times reported yesterday that America's top brass had reached "consensus" over a war. In a further sign of preparations for military action, six Iraqi opposition leaders are due to meet in Washington tomorrow for talks with senior officials. Iraq has responded with a mixture of defiant rhetoric and conciliatory signals. Only days after inviting Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, to visit Baghdad, the regime yesterday branded him a "spy". Saddam's foreign minister, Naji Sabri, told the BBC yesterday that Iraq "would not give in to diktats" from Washington and London. He said inspectors could return only if sanctions are lifted.