| Nuclear safety of world is at stake, Blair tells troops |
| BY PHILIP WEBSTER, POLITICAL EDITOR |
| TONY BLAIR warned yesterday of the ultimate threat of
nuclear attack from Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network unless it was
destroyed.
Speaking on British Forces radio as Britain’s contribution to the ground conflict in Afghanistan was being revealed, Mr Blair said the campaign was essential to protect national security and civilised values. It was a fight worth undertaking because of what was at stake. “If these terrorists who killed over 6,000 people in America are allowed to carry on building up their terrorist network, possibly acquiring chemical, biological even nuclear weapons of mass destruction, our world will be an insecure, unsafe place and there will be no corner of the world — particularly not a place like Britain — that will be untouched by that,” he said. “So we have to carry out the necessary action to close that terrorist network down and to bring to account those that perpetrated September 11.” Mr Blair was speaking the day after intelligence sources disclosed that bin Laden has acquired nuclear material to use in his terrorist war against the West. The sources, quoted by The Times, said it was believed that he had not yet secured the capability to mount a nuclear attack, but that was his eventual aim. Downing Street officials said that obtaining materials did not mean that bin Laden was able to develop them into bombs. However, sources admitted that the fear of bin Laden eventually becoming a nuclear threat to the world lay behind the constant warnings from President Bush and Mr Blair about the need to stop him before he did more — and possibly worse — damage. Mr Blair said that committing British forces to the campaign was a “huge responsibility” and he paid tribute to their “service, courage and bravery”. “Of course it is a huge responsibility that we only take in circumstances where we believe there is no other alternative. It is a huge responsibility to commit our armed forces but in my view it is justified in circumstances where our people are at risk,” he said. “From the very time that this terrible act on September 11 took place, when literally thousands of innocent people were killed, it has been obvious that we have to stop the terrorist network that perpetrated the attacks. If we don’t then our own people here in Britain are at risk, people around the world are at risk, and there is no doubt that if this terrorist network isn’t stopped it will commit even worse outrages in the future.” The Prime Minister refused to be drawn on the exact nature of any operations that British Armed Forces might be involved in but said that the objectives remained the destruction of al-Qaeda and the “removal and disablement” of the Taleban. “Obviously, to do that, we have achieved a certain amount through airpower. There will be operations that we can also mount in support of that in Afghanistan,” he said. “The exact nature of those things though, I am afraid I can’t discuss.” |
| Copyright 2001 Times Newspapers Ltd. This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard terms and conditions. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from The Times, visit the Syndication website. |
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