Blair to confront critics over Iraq stance

British Prime Minister Tony Blair today arrived back in Britain to face a barrage of questions over his stance on Iraq.

Mr Blair was expected to repeat his view that the world cannot stand by while Saddam Hussein’s regime is in breach of UN resolutions on weapons of mass destruction.

And he was set to confront critics of his support for US President George Bush’s stand on the issue head-on, hammering home his message that inaction is not an option.

Downing Street has so far refused to confirm or deny that Mr Blair has had recent telephone talks with Mr Bush, nor have officials confirmed that the two leaders will meet for face-to-face talks later this month.

The British Prime Minister pointedly refused to comment publicly on Iraq during his visit to Africa, saying questions could wait until the press conference.

Mr Blair knows he now has to begin the task of winning over critics, including senior figures in his own party, if he is to build up popular support for any British involvement in a US-led strike against Iraq.

His refusal to comment on the issue, while speeches from members of the Bush administration have ramped up expectations of imminent action, mean the Prime Minister is now under intense pressure to spell out the reasons for his solidarity with the White House.

In Johannesburg today, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz was meeting UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss the threat of an attack.

He was expected to raise the possibility of allowing weapons inspectors to return as part of a wider deal to tackle all of its disputes with the US.

US interference in Iraqi affairs and “threats of war” were among these differences, he said yesterday.

His comments came just a day after he described the return of the inspectors as a “non-starter”.

Former South African president Nelson Mandela and Russian foreign minister Ivan Ivanov yesterday became the latest voices added to the international warnings against US military action.

Mr Mandela warned that Washington was “introducing chaos in international affairs” and should not be allowed “to take the law into their own hands”.

And Mr Ivanov, meeting his Iraqi counterpart Naji Sabri in Moscow, echoed Baghdad’s demands for a diplomatic settlement, warning military action could destabilise the whole Middle East.

Mr Blair was flew back overnight from the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, where he was involved in clashes over Britain’s colonial past.

Namibian president Sam Nujoma accused the UK of creating conflict in Zimbabwe over Robert Mugabe’s controversial land seizure programme.

And Mr Mugabe himself told the UN-sponsored gathering: “Blair – keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe.”

Mr Blair also had talks yesterday with French president Jacques Chirac, and his Chinese counterpart – meaning that with a visit to Moscow to see Vladimir Putin expected later this month, the premier will have had face-to-face talks with three other permanent members of the UN Security Council.

That could be crucial in winning over UN support for an assault on Iraq.