‘Nightmare if Iraq not disarmed’

THE world will be plunged into a “living nightmare” if it fails to deal with Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned yesterday.

His tough stance towards Iraq was motivated by the fear that nuclear, chemical or biological weapons would one day be used by a repressive regime like Saddam’s, or be passed to terrorists with no regard for human life, he said. The prime minister dismissed an Iraqi offer to destroy ballistic missiles which breach United Nations restrictions as an empty gesture, designed to undermine the unity of the international community.

Speaking to Labour’s Welsh conference in Swansea, he acknowledged the concerns of many party activists about his approach to the crisis, saying: “I know many of you find it hard to understand why I care so deeply about this. I tell you: it is fear.