Blair edges closer to Iraqi strike Guardian Unlimited
Thursday February 28
Matthew Tempest, political correspondentTony Blair today moved a step closer to signing Britain up to US plans to move against Iraq, saying he agreed with the "sentiment" behind President Bush's "axis of evil" speech.
In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation - embargoed to miss today's British newspapers - Mr Blair gave his strongest endorsement yet to the US president's plans to deal with Saddam Hussein.
Flying to Australia for a Commonwealth heads of government meeting, Mr Blair said it was "important that we act against them" - states who developed or traded weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Blair also issued effusive praise for Mr Bush, saying: ""I think that George Bush has shown tremendous leadership since September 11. I think he has acted always in a very measured way, in a calm way, but he is right to raise these issues and certainly he has our support in doing so."
Mr Blair is reported to be holding talks with Mr Bush in Washington in April to finalise what action should be taken against Iraq as part of a "second phase" in the war against terrorism.
"I certainly agree with him [Mr Bush] very strongly that weapons of mass destruction represent a real threat to world stability," the prime minister added.
"It is an issue that those who are engaged in spreading weapons of mass destruction are engaged in an evil trade and it is important that we make sure that we take action in respect of it.
He and President Bush were in constant contact and agreed on the "general issues".
Any military action against Iraq would provoke huge opposition within Europe and on Labour's own backbenches.
Mr Blair added: "We do constantly look at Iraq ... Saddam Hussein's regime is a regime that is deeply repressive to its people and is a real danger to the region.
"Heavens above, he used chemical weapons against his own people, so it is an issue and we have got to look at it, but we will look at it in a rational and calm way, as we have for the other issues.
At the time of the 1988 gassing of the a Kurdish village within Iraq, president Hussein had the backing of the US and UK goverments in Iraq's war with its neighbour Iran.
"The accumulation of weapons of mass destruction by Iraq poses a threat, a threat not just to the region but to the wider world, and I think George Bush was absolutely right to raise it. Now what action we take in respect of that, that is an open matter for discussion.
"Since September 11 we have proceeded in a calm, measured, sensible way, by discussion and we will carry on doing so, but when we are ready to take action then we will announce it." On the subject of British "battlefield detainees" held by the US in Cuba, Mr Blair said it was a "tricky issue."
The prime minister continued:" This is a unique situation because what you have in Afghanistan are certain members of the terrorist network, the al-Qaida network, some have been detained, some people obviously are part of the Taliban regime, they were effectively prisoners of war.
"Now we are in discussion with the Americans about the status of these prisoners, when those discussions are over we will establish properly exactly how they should be treated."
Asked whether he would like to see the British detainees return home to face trial, he said: "We have just got to see about that ... The best thing when there are ongoing discussions that are taking place in detail is to let the discussions take place."
At the time of the detention of around 500 men in Afghanistan, the US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld dubbed them "the worst of the worst."
Yesterday the Pentagon admitted it had virtually no evidence against any of the detainees.
Mr Blair also told the interviewer he would like to be remembered as a prime minister who "brought in a revolution in economic management for economic stability, rebuilt our public services, particularly education, and who gave Britain a sense of its place in the world."
Asked if that meant with the euro, he replied: "Well it is the economic test, isn't it?"