Blair weathers anti-war revolt

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair faced an anti-war revolt by his own backers, while French President Jacques Chirac won broad support for resisting war on Iraq yesterday.

Both leaders stuck to their guns in parliamentary debates, defending conflicting timetables and methods for disarming President Saddam Hussein, and making a mockery of last week's short-lived facade of European unity on the crisis.

Mr Blair, facing a rebel amendment by around 100 MPs from his Labour party saying the case for war is not proven, told the House of Commons that Iraq was missing the final chance to disarm peacefully: "Saddam still has the opportunity, if he were to take it, of full compliance but so far he has not done so."