Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=12/10/02

TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT

TITLE=YNDR: BRITAIN / IRAQ

NUMBER=5-52699

BYLINE=MICHAEL DRUDGE

DATELINE=LONDON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: British Prime Minister Tony Blair played a key role in convincing President Bush to seek United Nations support for his efforts to disarm Iraq. Britain is expected to be America's most reliable military ally if war breaks out with Iraq. V-O-A London correspondent Michael Drudge has this review of Britain's Iraq policy.

TEXT: When President Bush spoke on the Iraq crisis at the United Nations on September 12th, British government officials were quietly delighted.

That's because Prime Minister Blair had been instrumental in convincing the U-S leader to seek a new U-N resolution to get weapons inspectors back inside Iraq.

The Bush announcement ended weeks of speculation that the United States was about to go to war against Iraq with virtually no international support, except for Britain.

But with British public opinion sharply divided on Iraq, Mr. Blair knew he would be taking an enormous political risk if there was a war before all diplomatic efforts had been exhausted. He used his influence as America's strongest ally in the war on terrorism to make his case to President Bush, as he explained on British radio.

/// BLAIR ACT ///

I think it's very important we do stand with the U-S, particularly after the 11th of September, and also try to make sure that we act with the United States on as broad a basis as possible and one of the reasons why I wanted to make sure we dealt with Iraq through the United Nations was to try to bring everyone onto the same ground.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Blair says one of his greatest fears is that terrorists will acquire weapons of mass destruction from a country like Iraq, and he has been sharing his concerns with President Bush since they first met.

/// 2ND BLAIR ACT ///

The very first meeting I had with George Bush shortly after his election, I raised the issue of weapons of mass destruction then. That was before September 11th, before any of these issues had come to prominence. I have been worried about this for a long time.

/// END ACT ///

Pollsters say Mr. Blair continues to have trouble convincing a large segment of the British public that the threat from Iraq is real. They say his close relationship with President Bush could be a political liability. Patrick Dunlevy is a political scientist at the London School of Economics.

/// DUNLEVY ACT ///

President Bush is an unpopular U-S president (in Britain). British public opinion does not like strong, right wing U-S presidents. British public opinion is critical of U-S policy since September the 11th. I think Tony Blair is being seen as too compliant with U-S policy.

/// END ACT ///

Some of the most outspoken opponents of the Blair policy on Iraq are members of parliament from his own Labor Party. One of them, Jeremy Corbyn, even helped lead an anti-war protest march through London.

/// CORBYN ACT ///

I believe an attack on Iraq is outrageous. It will kill many civilians. It won't bring about an improvement in the lot of ordinary people's lives, but it will deliver a lot of oil to a lot of oil companies.

/// END ACT ///

Some British military analysts say it may be too late for the protesters to stop a war, since British and American jet fighters are already bombing targets in Iraq's northern and southern no-fly zones. Charles Heyman edits a military magazine for the Jane's Information Group.

/// HEYMAN ACT ///

What the coalition aircraft are going after are command, control, communications, and intelligence sites. And they're taking them out bit by bit. I mean a very, very necessary prelude to a high intensity campaign later down the line.

/// END ACT ///

In the 1991 Gulf War, Britain was the only country to send an armored division to join American forces in driving Iraq out of Kuwait. British military analysts say if Iraq is invaded this time, Mr. Blair will at least want to match that contribution, and carry on his influence with the Americans. (Signed)

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