|
This is good news. Let's hope Tony is right.
Terry
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2003 11:43
AM
Subject: [TruthTalk] Blair Says U.S. Has
No Plans to Attack Syria, Iran
Reuters
Friday, April 4, 2003; 11:11 AM
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony
Blair said Friday the United States had absolutely no plans to attack Syria
and Iran, which have been warned by Washington over their alleged involvement
in Iraq.
In an interview with the Arabic service of BBC World Service
Radio, Blair also said it was every bit as important to make progress in
resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as it was to oust Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein.
Last week, Washington accused Syria of allowing
shipments of military equipment to cross the border into Iraq in defiance of a
U.S. warning. It also said it was concerned by the presence inside Iraq of
hundreds of Iraqi Shiite Muslim forces, trained and financed by the
Iranians.
The warnings sparked fears the U.S.-led war in Iraq might
spread to other countries in the Middle East, but Blair said those fears were
unfounded.
"There is no question of 'who next?' We are in Iraq for a
particular reason," Blair said. "This is not a war against Iraq, it is a war
against Saddam.
"They (the Americans) have got absolutely no plans to
attack those two countries. What they were saying is that it is important that
neither country assist those forces loyal to Saddam."
He told people to
stop "looking for conspiracy theories -- Iraq one day and a whole series of
countries the next."
Asked if he had enough influence in Washington to
curb any move to attack Syria and Iran, Blair -- Washington's closest ally in
its self-declared war on terror -- repeated his assurance to the Arab
world.
"I know of absolutely no plan to do that," he
said.
"There are concerns about support for terrorism in certain of
these countries, that is true. But I have always thought we can try and deal
with these issues in a different way."
Blair has made strenuous efforts
to develop ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, believing he is a
crucial figure if the Middle East peace process is to be revived.
Blair
has visited Damascus and hosted Assad in London in an attempt to build bridges
while Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has visited Tehran three times.
The
prime minister said the Iraqi war was inextricably linked with the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I think what we need to do is look at
this in two dimensions," he said. "The first is the issue of Iraq. ... The
second dimension however is to bring greater stability to the Middle
East.
"My own judgment is that the single most important thing we can
do is to bring some hope to the situation between Israel and
Palestine.
"I believe it is every bit as important that we make
progress on that as we get rid of Saddam."
|
