-Caveat Lector- Blair appeals for backing on Iraq
Saddam Hussein will feel stronger "beyond measure" if the world fails to make Iraq disarm, Tony Blair has warned MPs as he seeks their backing for war. In one of the most important speeches of his career, the prime minister said the only people who would suffer if Saddam is not tackled will be the Iraqi people. "Who will celebrate and who will weep if we pull our troops back now?" he said. Mr Blair warned that retreat would send a dangerous message to other "tyrants", while the Iraqi people would be left in "pitiless terror". He said: "I will not be party to such a course. This is not the time to falter. This is the time for this House to give a lead, to show we will stand up for what we know to be right." The prime minister was speaking as two more ministers quit over his stance on Iraq ahead of a key Commons vote on the issue at 22:00GMT. Mr Blair said there was a "clear and present danger" that the twin threats of rogue states with weapons of mass destruction would combine with terrorist groups. The prime minister is facing a major backbench rebellion over plans to take military action in Iraq. Home Office Minister John Denham and Health Minister Lord Hunt quit the government on Tuesday along with two ministerial aides. The departures followed in the wake of Robin Cook's decision to resign from the cabinet on Monday. But Mr Blair was boosted by International Development Secretary Clare Short's decision to stay in the cabinet, despite saying she was still "very critical" of the handling of the crisis. Mr Denham said he had resigned because he believed it was crucial to have international consensus for pre-emptive action. US President George Bush has given Saddam Hussein and his sons 48 hours from 0100 GMT on Tuesday to leave Iraq or face invasion - a demand later rejected by the Iraqi leadership. In the Commons, Mr Blair said that if the UK pulled out of possible military action it would give America "the biggest impulse to unilateralism you can imagine". Stark choice Setting out the stakes for MPs ahead of Tuesday's key Commons vote - at 2200 GMT - he argued they would determine the path of international politics for the next generation. HAVE YOUR SAY We will get our chance in the next election to let them know what we think Ian, Scotland "This is a tough choice indeed but it is also a stark one: to stand British troops down ... or hold firm to the course we have set," he said. Mr Blair, who met Labour backbenchers privately before the debate, decried Iraqi "lies, deception and obstruction" about weapons of mass destruction. It was "palpably absurd" to believe that Iraq had voluntarily disarmed after United Nations weapons inspectors left in 1998, he argued. Rebel amendment The prime minister urged MPs to "show that we will stand up for what we know to be right ... that we will confront the tyrants and terrorists who put our lives at risk ... that we have the courage to do the right thing." As he tried to win over wavering MPs, Mr Blair suggested the world could unify around a new political agenda of achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement. There would also be a new UN resolution to rebuild Iraq in the wake of a war, he said. An ICM poll for the Guardian suggests British public opinion is shifting towards backing war although more still oppose (44%) than back (38%) war. Rebel MPs have drawn up an amendment to the government's motion stating there is no moral justification for war without a new resolution. The last debate on the Iraq crisis saw 122 Labour MPs voting against the government and rebels hope more will join then this time. Moving the amendment, former Labour Defence Minister Peter Kilfoyle called war "illegal, immoral and illogical". But Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith backed the government's stance. Saddam Hussein had "the means, mentality and motive" to threaten Britain's national security, he said. But Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said: "We do not believe that there is a case for war that has been established in the absence of a second resolution." That did not mean, however, that his party would not give troops put into action "full moral support", he added. Tory MP John Randall, who quit his party's frontbench last week over Iraq, said he intended to vote against the government but added if the amendment was defeated he would consider changing his view. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/2860717.stm Published: 2003/03/18 17:03:34 © BBC MMIII Forwarded for your information. 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