-Caveat Lector- >From Int'l Herald Tribune: Paris, Friday, December 11, 1998 Blair Seconds U.S. Call For a New NATO Mission He Backs Fight on Arms of Mass Destruction ------------------------------------------------------------------------ By Tom Buerkle and Walter Wells International Herald Tribune ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LONDON - Underscoring his and his country's reputation as Washington's most dependable ally, Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed clear support on Thursday for a U.S. campaign to give NATO a new mission of combating weapons of mass destruction, the first European leader to do so publicly. ''I think the United States is right to try to define what the modern role for NATO is, because in truth it is bound to change,'' Mr. Blair said in an interview at his Downing Street office. He also played down the recent dispute with Germany and France over taxation, saying that talk of harmonizing taxes across Europe reflected ''scares'' by anti-European Conservative politicians and British newspapers rather than any actual proposals. Britain has plenty of allies to resist drives toward harmonization or the introduction of majority voting on tax matters, he said, citing comments in the last week by Prime Ministers Lionel Jospin of France, Goran Persson of Sweden and Jose Maria Aznar of Spain. ''We are not going to agree to the same corporate tax rates or income tax rates across Europe, and we are not going to agree to measures that push everyone's taxes up over Europe,'' Mr. Blair said. ''The idea that Britain stands alone on this issue is in my judgment absurd.'' Mr. Blair, who spoke here before heading to Vienna for a summit meeting of European Union leaders that begins Friday, has appeared on the defensive in recent days over taxes and demands that Britain give up some of its �2 billion ($3.3 billion) rebate from the EU budget. While he promised to defend the rebate, his language was calmly determined rather than threatening. He insisted that his government's positive stance on matters ranging from social policy to defense had put Britain ''back on center stage.'' ''We are a major European nation,'' Mr. Blair said. ''We should act as such and be proud of it. What is necessary is that when any disagreement comes up that we realize that we stay firm but we stay engaged.'' These were among other points that Mr. Blair made in the interview: He acknowledged that Britain's economy was slowing rapidly and that conditions ''will be tougher for jobs and business in the next year.'' But he defended Bank of England policy independence and declined to criticize its pace of rate cuts, which included a further half-point cut on Thursday, to 6.25 percent. ''I think the precedents for that are rather poor and ineffective,'' Mr. Blair said. He ruled out any prospect of a referendum on the single currency before the next general election, which must be held by May 2002. Britain's economic cycle remained closer to that of the United States than to Continental Europe's, he said. Convergence ''must not simply be for an instant in time,'' he said. ''It has to be sustainable.'' He acknowledged a risk that Continental Europe could ''retreat into old-style corporatism as the answer to its problems.'' But he claimed widespread support, including in Germany and France, for his so-called Third Way policies combining structural reforms with efforts to help the poorest members of society. ''Without making too much of this, I would say I probably get as much publicity in Europe as any other leader in Europe does,'' he said. ''These ideas are talked about and debated about.'' He restated his personal support for President Bill Clinton without commenting on the looming vote in the House Judiciary Committee on articles of impeachment. ''I am a strong supporter of his, I always have been and will remain so,'' he said. ''He has been a very good friend to Britain, and over Northern Ireland in particular I have found his help absolutely invaluable.'' The U.S. secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, urged the NATO allies this week to expand the alliance's mission to defending ''common interests'' in Europe and beyond, including efforts to contain weapons of mass destruction. Some European countries have expressed concerns that Washington was trying to turn the North Atlantic Treaty Organization into a tool for its global strategic interests, but Mr. Blair said the debate was ''more imagined than real.'' ''I think most people accept that it is important to make sure that we deal with weapons of mass destruction, that we try and ensure that we are tackling some of the common security problems that confront us all,'' he said. He also made it clear that Britain rejected Germany's call for the alliance to rule out the first use of nuclear weapons, but he sought to play down the difference. ''I don't think we should place too much stress on that one particular statement,'' he said. Explaining his decision to reverse British policy this fall and support the development of a defense capability inside the European Union, Mr. Blair said he was driven by the desire to ensure that Europe's defense efforts remain ''fully consistent and in conformity'' with its members' NATO obligations. Decisions should be kept in the hands of countries that have military power and the will to use it, he said. The question of will remains to be proven, though, he added. ''In relation to Kosovo,'' he said, ''I was depressed at the degree to which Europe was unwilling to get fully engaged with that straight away and really face up to the responsibilities.'' As for his broader European aims, Mr. Blair said Britain was still ''several years'' from becoming a central player in Europe without polarized opinion at home. But he had a clear role model. ''France is not shy about defending its own national interests, and quite right, too,'' he said. ''But they find no inconsistency between defending those national interests and being a full player in Europe.'' ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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