Blair stresses importance of Iraqi elections
The Prime Minister has stressed that Iraq’s January elections will be of “immense” strategic importance.
Tony Blair made his comments whilst answering questions on the deployment of British troops to Iraq at his monthly press conference. Mr Blair emphasised that the deployment of the Black Watch would be a “limited operation for a limited period” and sought instead to concentrate on the elections.
He told the assembled media that: “The key issue is the Iraqi elections in January…This is a very, very big moment if the Iraqi people are able to elect their own government.”
Ensuring safe and successful elections would also be a “victory” for Britain’s own security, he said, as it would deal a massive blow to the terrorists’ propaganda that the US and the UK were in Iraq in order to control the country. The biggest blow to terrorists in recent months had been the elections in Afghanistan, he added.
He maintained that the Iraqi government and multinational forces were “bit by bit” taking back control of cities such as Najaf and Samarrah. In addition, if the terrorists stopped killing innocent people, there would be no need for US and UK forces to remain in Iraq.
“We don’t want to stay there longer than a moment necessary,” he said.
In response to a separate question about the possible amalgamation of the Black Watch regiment, Mr Blair said the proposals had come from the Scottish army, and were being considered by the Government, but no decision had been made. It was possible that the proposal would be rejected he added.
Elsewhere in his press conference, the Prime Minister was asked about his vision for the Middle East. He replied that it was essential to look at the area as a whole, which meant restoring stability in Iraq but also getting the peace process in Palestine back up and running.
He insisted that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s proposed withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was an “important opportunity” for peace and that other people were beginning to understand that. 7000 settlements were being withdrawn for the first time ever, and that had to be seized on.
After the US presidential elections were out of the way, he continued, the international community must put its efforts into ensuring that the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip was working properly so that its inhabitants could continue to make the peace process work, and as proof of the success of the process.
On Iran’s nuclear weapons, he dismissed the suggestion that military action against Iran was being contemplated and insisted that dialogue had not been exhausted. However, Iran had to understand that developing nuclear weapons was not acceptable, he said.
“The one thing we do not want is an Iran with nuclear weapons capability.”
