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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PartyTime who wrote (5345)	2/4/2003 7:41:52 PM
From: Just_Observing	Respond to of 25898

BLAIR: NO WAR IS A SIGN OF WEAKNESS Feb 4 2003 PM: We're in final phase before war By Oonagh Blackman SADDAM Hussein can still avoid war, Tony Blair said yesterday - but then he claimed Britain will look "weak" if we back off from military action. The Prime Minister defied Labour unrest and said the "final phase" before war had begun. He told MPs there must be no backing down from the threat to use force to disarm Iraq: "Show weakness now and no one will ever believe us when we try to show strength in the future. Even now, I hope that conflict with Iraq can be avoided. Even now, I hope Saddam can come to his senses, co-operate fully and disarm peacefully. "But if he does not, then he must be disarmed by force." Mr Blair accused Iraq of setting up a "huge infrastructure of deception and concealment" to trick the UN weapons inspectors. "We are entering the final phase of a 12-year history of disarmament of Iraq. The evidence of co-operation withheld is unmistakable." Iraq and al-Qaeda were twin threats. He added: "I do not want to be the PM when people point the finger back at history and say, 'You knew perfectly well those two threats were there and you did nothing about it'." Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said: "Saddam's day of reckoning is fast approaching. Peace or war. The choice is his. Disarm or face the consequences." But Mr Blair faced hostile questions from his own backbenchers. Joan Ruddock said 200,000 civilians were victims in the Gulf War: "Now the Pentagon is saying 10 times as much firepower will be used this time." Mr Blair replied: "If military action does begin, we will make every single effort we possibly can to minimise any civilian casualties." He also denied Britain would use nuclear weapons after Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon had hinted they might be deployed. Mr Blair said: "We have no plans - absolutely no plans - to use nuclear weapons." Labour MP Alice Mahon questioned US intelligence on breaches of the resolution to disarm, to be given to the UN by Secretary of State Colin Powell tomorrow. She said: "Given the long and incompetent history of US intelligence, should we believe Mr Powell?" Mr Blair insisted: "The evidence is there." Anti-war campaigner Tony Benn flew home after meeting Saddam and said Mr Blair should "veto" war plans. The Government will spend an extra £22million on kit for troops sent to the Gulf, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said. It will include full desert kit, protective suits, respirators for nuclear, chemical or biological attack, sunglasses and sun cream. GENERAL Sir Michael Jackson became Chief of General Staff in command of the Army. o.blackman @mirror.co.uk mirror.co.uk The justification for "war" gets more ridiculous by the minute. 500,000 Iraqi casaulties (UN estimates) so that Britain does not appear to be weak. Stupidity is a sure sign of weakness.