Under-fire Blair hails troops in Iraq

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday thanked British troops in Iraq for the “magnificent” job they had done in helping to liberate the country.

However, his remarks were overshadowed by calls for a House of Commons inquiry into claims that Downing Street distorted intelligence information to make a crucial dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction more compelling.

The claims, which were rejected by Downing Street, marred Mr Blair's visit to Iraq, the first of a western leader since the fall of Saddam.

In the dossier published last September as the United Nations wrangled over whether to send weapons inspectors into Iraq Mr Blair warned that the dictator could launch chemical or biological attacks within 45 minutes.

But the BBC yesterday quoted an unnamed "senior British official" as saying that this was one in a series of unreliable claims included in the dossier against the wishes of intelligence officers, who had been ordered by Number 10 to "sex up" a drier draft version of the document.

"Most people in intelligence weren't happy with the dossier because it didn't reflect the considered view they were putting forward," he said.

The 50-page document, drawing on intelligence material from MI6, MI5 and GCHQ, outlined Iraq's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons and to develop long-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel or British bases in Cyprus.

It was used by Mr Blair as ammunition in his effort to convince Parliament and the British people that it was essential to disarm Iraq, by force if necessary.

According to the BBC, the unnamed senior British official said the dossier was "transformed" in the week before it was published to make it "sexier".

Addressing some 400 military personnel in Basra, southern Iraq, Mr Blair said: "I know there are a lot of disagreements in the country about the wisdom of my decision to order the action, but I can assure you of one thing, there is absolutely no dispute in Britain at all about your professionalism and your courage and your dedication."

Mr Blair told the troops they could be proud "not just of the way you won the war, which was extraordinary, but the way that you are conducting the peace, which is remarkable".

The taking of the Al Faw peninsula and the city of Basra with a minimum of civilian casualties was "famous right round the world", he said.

"I know this was real war with real bloodshed and real casualties. There are people you will know who aren't going back home, and we grieve for them and pay respect for everything they did and the sacrifice they made.

"People back home are incredibly proud of what you have done. You have made this whole country, our country, hold its head up high. There are people here who, in years to come, will look back and remember what you did and recognise that."

The prime minister said that the region was going through change as a result of the removal of Saddam, adding that there were "big issues" which needed to be resolved with Syria and Iran.

"This area of the world has been a source of more instability, more terrorism, more difficulty in managing world affairs than any other region in the world," he added.

"You can see in relation to countries like Syria and Iran where there are big issues we need to discuss with them and resolve with them, that we can do that in a completely different atmosphere than was possible a few months ago."

From a shaded veranda of the former presidential palace against the background of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, Mr Blair told the troops: "You fought and won the battle with great courage and valour, but it did not stop there.

"You went on to try and make something of the country you have liberated. That is a lesson for armed forces everywhere the world over.

"When people look back at this time and this conflict, I honestly believe they will see this as one of the defining moments of our century."