Blair warned against endangering troops in Iraq as gesture to US

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Oct 16, IRNA -- Prime Minister Tony Blair was warned Saturday 
not to put British troops in Iraq in danger merely as a "political 
gesture" ahead of next month`s American presidential elections. 
The Conservative`s shadow defense secretary Nicholas Soames said 
that he had no objections to British forces serving under US command, 
but suggested that they should not be redeployed simply to help US 
President George W. Bush`s re-election campaign. 
"We need to watch the timing of all this and be careful that this 
isn`t just being used as a kind of political gesture to reassure the 
Americans of Prime Blair`s support for the American efforts," said 
the grandson of former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill. 
Soames was referring to reports that British soldiers could be 
sent for the first time to support American forces in some of Iraq`s 
most volatile areas ahead of an expected massive US assault to 
reclaim towns outside its control. 
Speaking on BBC Radio 4`s Today program, he warned that if the 
redeployment went wrong, British forces in Iraq would be among those 
who would "pay the price." 
"The concept of peacekeeping is one that is alien to our American 
friends," the shadow defense secretary said in a slur against 
Washington`s combative approach. 
"They don`t use the same tactics as we do and that is their 
business," he said. 
He said that it was essential that British commanders had a "very 
major say, in my view, in the planning for this upcoming counter- 
insurgency operation which is clearly going to be very big." 
"At the end of the day our soldiers -- a large number of them in 
Basra -- will be amongst those who will pick up the bill if it goes 
wrong," Soames told the BBC. 
He said that Blair needed to do more to make sure that the rather 
supine impression is not given of "Americans ordering everything to 
happen and we just follow along." 
His warning came after Conservative leader Michael Howard called 
for the government to make a parliamentary statement at the earliest 
possible opportunity on moving any British troops out of its area 
around Basra in southeast Iraq so that it could be questioned. 
The Liberal Democrat`s defense spokesman. Paul Keetch. also 
cautioned against placing British forces under US command, saying 
they should remain under UK control and that any changes should be 
brought to parliament. 
"With the public disquiet about ongoing operations in Iraq, 
placing British forces under direct US control would not be supported 
by the British people," he warned. 
HC/2321/1432
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Blair warned against endangering troops in Iraq as gesture to US
