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http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=210152003 close Wed 19 Feb 2003 show images The French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Tony Blair in more congenial times. Prime Minister hits out at Chirac's 'games' JASON BEATTIE CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT THE diplomatic rift between Britain and France widened last night after Tony Blair warned Jacques Chirac, the French president, against playing a "dangerous diplomatic game" over Iraq. With London and Washington preparing to circulate, perhaps as early as today, the draft of a second United Nations resolution authorising possible action against Saddam Hussein, the Prime Minister rounded on the French leader for wrecking the transatlantic consensus. In a departure from the normal diplomatic niceties, Mr Blair flatly contradicted Mr Chirac to insist Iraq was in material breach of UN demands and a second resolution would be achieved. In Brussels, diplomats were attempting to repair the damage after Mr Chirac accused former Soviet bloc nations backing Britain and the United States of "not well-brought up behaviour". He cautioned the ten candidate states - including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic - due to join the European Union next year that their stance could be "dangerous", as the decision to admit them had not yet been ratified. Clearly infuriated by France’s continued refusal to support her British and US allies, Mr Blair said yesterday: "People who want to pull Europe and America apart are playing the most dangerous game of international politics I know. "If you set up these rival poles of power, I sincerely believe it is dangerous for the security of our world." And Mr Blair appeared to rebuke Mr Chirac for his comments. He said: "I hope that no-one is suggesting that they [the ten joining states] should be anything other than full members of the EU and perfectly entitled to express their views. "They have as much right to speak up as Britain or France or any other member of the EU today because they are coming in next year as full members of the EU." Mr Blair’s willingness to risk his political future over Iraq brought plaudits from George Bush, the US president, who yesterday praised the Prime Minister as a "courageous leader and a true friend". The president echoed the determination to forge an international consensus and promised to work with the US’s "friends and allies" to achieve a second resolution. "We don’t need a second resolution. It’s clear [Saddam] couldn’t care less about the first resolution. He’s in defiance with [resolution] 1441. But we’re working with our friends and allies to see if we can get a second resolution," Mr Bush said. He dismissed the weekend demonstrations, saying the size of the protests against a possible war against Iraq was irrelevant. "Size of protest, it’s like deciding I’m going to decide policy based on a focus group. The role of a leader is to decide policy based upon the security of the people." Attention is now likely to centre on the next report by Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, at the end of the month. Mr Blair appeared buoyed by his victory at the European Summit on Monday night, when heads of states sided with Britain to issue a statement outlining their full support for Iraqi disarmament. The Prime Minister used the bulk of his monthly press conference to urge those who took part in the weekend’s demonstrations to consider the plight of the four million Iraqis exiled under Saddam. But he also admitted he had failed to present a convincing case for the need to disarm Iraq. "There is a failure of communication, which I take responsibility for," he said. Mr Blair’s campaign to win over opinion will be tested on Saturday, when he has a private audience with the Pope John Paul II, who objects to military action. This article: http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/international.cfm?id=210152003 More War with Iraq?: http://www.news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=518 Websites: UNMOVIC http://www.un.org/Depts/unmovic/ FCO - Policy towards Iraq http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394374 UN News Centre http://www.un.org/News/ FCO site - Britain, UNSCOM & Iraq http://special.fco.gov.uk/ UN - Office of the Iraq Programme http://www.un.org/Depts/oip/ US Dept of State - Iraq Update http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq/ Iraqi Presidency http://www.uruklink.net/iraq/ Iraq Watch http://www.iraqwatch.org Dossiers on Iraqi WMD & human rights abuses http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1032455026312 John Pilger on Iraq http://pilger.carlton.com/iraq Forwarded for your information. 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