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Posted on 02/15/2003 7:23:01 AM PST by MississippiMan
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2 hours, 33 minutes ago
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By Mike Peacock
GLASGOW, Scotland (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) warned the United Nations (news - web sites) on Saturday that its authority would be shattered if Iraq is not disarmed soon peacefully or by force.
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In remarks clearly aimed at world powers opposing U.S.-led preparations for war, Blair also dismissed last-minute moves by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) as phony although he conceded that U.N. weapons inspectors would get more time to scour Iraq.
"If we show weakness now, if we allow the plea for more time to become just an excuse for prevarication until the moment for action passes then...the menace, and not just from Saddam, will grow," Blair told a conference of his ruling Labour party in this Scottish city.
"The authority of the U.N. will be lost and the conflict when it comes will be more bloody," he said.
His unwaveringly tough speech represented a clear rebuke to Russia, France, China, Germany and others who, in a dramatic Security Council showdown on Friday, demanded more time for weapons searches and diplomacy.
In a setback for the United States and Britain, U.N. arms officials held out hope that inspections were working, leading most council members to say it was premature to wage war.
The United States and Britain have warned Saddam he faces military action unless he gives up all weapons of mass destruction -- which Iraq denies having -- and have massed tens of thousands of troops in the Gulf.
Blair dismissed 11th hour moves from Saddam who, hours before the meeting on Friday, announced Iraq was adopting a law banning all weapons of mass destruction.
"To anyone familiar with Saddam's tactics of deception and evasion, there is a weary sense of deja vu," he said in a passionate speech to skeptical supporters. "The concessions are suspect. Unfortunately, the weapons are real."
"MORAL CASE FOR WAR"
Blair will face European skeptics at an EU summit in Brussels on Monday. But first he faced equally tough opponents of war in his own party.
Political history suggests that to press ahead with military action in defiance of public opinion, and the wishes of your political power base, spells disaster for any leader.
Most Labour MPs and party activists are deeply hostile to another Gulf War (news - web sites), particularly if it is not authorized by a fresh United Nations resolution. Polls show most Britons agree.
Blair switched tack, trying to make a "moral case" for war.
As upwards of 500,000 anti-war protestors geared up to march through London, an unrepentant Blair said: "If there are 500,000 on that march, that is still less than the number of people whose deaths Saddam has been responsible for.
"If there are one million, that is still less than the number of people who died in the wars he started."
Blair has reserved the right to follow the United States into war without a fresh resolution, fearing that a key U.N. member or members will block it.
British diplomats are still hopeful that nations will sign up to the use of force if given time and Blair again pledged to push for a new resolution. But with U.S. military leaders suggesting combat operations need to take place by mid-March, successful negotiations may not meet that deadline.
Domestically, that could be Blair's nightmare scenario and he seemed to know it. "I do not seek unpopularity as a badge of honor," he said. "But sometimes it is the price of leadership."
I'm impressed.
MM
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