UK News

Blair justifies Iraq invasion at key London hearing (2nd Roundup)

Jan 29, 2010, 17:25 GMT

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is pictured on a television screen above security officials at the Iraq Inquiry in central London, Britain 29 January 2010. EPA/ANDY RAIN

London - Former British prime minister Tony Blair Friday delivered a robust defence of his controversial 2003 decision to join the US-led invasion of Iraq by saying that the risk posed by 'rogue states' grew dramatically after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In his much-anticipated testimony to Britain's Iraq War Inquiry, Blair said he remained convinced that it was right to 'remove' former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and that, had he not been toppled, Saddam would today be 'competing with Iran' in the race to own nuclear weapons.

Blair admitted that Britain did not accept any direct link between Saddam and the al-Qaeda terrorism network, but pointed to the example of Iran as a country that was backing insurgencies in the Middle East.

'There are very strong links between terrorist organizations and states that support and sponsor them,' he said.

Blair's six-hour questioning session before the five-member inquiry was accompanied by noisy anti-war demonstrations outside the chamber, where opponents branded the former prime minister a 'liar' and a 'war criminal.'

Inside, relatives of war victims said they had been 'sickened' by Blair's lack of regret and contrition for the consequences of his decision to take the country to war.

Blair's appearance followed testimony from a string of top diplomats, politicians, military leaders and intelligence officials which cast doubt on the reliability of intelligence reports on the threat from Saddam, while also questioning the legal basis for the invasion and alleging that Blair backed US-led military action as early as April, 2002.

The government-appointed Iraq inquiry has no legal powers, but is an attempt to 'reveal the truth' behind the planning, execution and aftermath of the 2003 invasion.

Blair Friday denied there had been a 'covert' deal with former US President George W. Bush on military action when the two leaders met at the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas, in April, 2002.

But he also said: 'The fact is, force is always an option. What changed after September 11 was that - if necessary - and there was no other way of dealing with this threat - we were going to remove him (Saddam).'

Blair made clear that, while he was 'at one' with Bush on the assessment of the new global threat, it was his own conviction which led him to join the war effort.

'Just so that we get this absolutely clear, this was not an American position - this was my position and the British position,' he said.

'It mattered to have Britain there,' said Blair. 'If we think it's right, we should be prepared to play our part fully.'

He had been convinced 'beyond doubt' that Saddam had the intention and ability to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), insisted Blair.

However, he conceded that it had been 'a mistake' that his now notorious claim that some WMDs could be launched by Iraq 'within 45 minutes' referred to battlefield weapons and not to long-range missiles.

'I would have been better to have corrected it in the light if the significance it later took on,' Blair said about the claim.

But he had concluded after the September 11 attacks that 'no risks' could be taken with this new dimension of the terrorist threat.

'Up to September 11, we thought he (Saddam Hussein) was a risk, but we thought it was worth trying to contain it. Crucially, after September 11, the calculus of risk changed,' said Blair.

'From that moment on, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Iraq ... all of that had to be brought to an end,' said Blair.

He described Saddam as a 'monster' and said he still believed today that it was right to prevent 'rogue states' from being allowed to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).