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| 12 January 2007 |
Blair defends military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan |
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Prime Minister Tony Blair has defended the UK's military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, during a speech on-board HMS Albion in Plymouth.
Mr Blair said that Britain's armed forces needed to be "warfighters as well as peacekeepers".
He warned that it could take a generation to defeat Al Qaeda and win the 'war on terror', but said that it would be a "catastrophe" to retreat from the challenge.
Mr Blair said that the September 11 attacks had been a turning point in history and that the world now faced a "new and different" security challenge as a result.
The Prime Minister admitted that public opinion was divided over the military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, with many people feeling that the cost was too great and the campaigns too long. He also said that the public was "unnerved by the absence of victory" in the normal, traditional way.
However, he said that Britain had to be prepared to fight to defend its values and warned that spending on defence would have to increase. He said: "Terrorism cannot be defeated by military means alone, but it can't be defeated without it."
Acknowledging that troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan were under strain, Mr Blair pledged to improve conditions for troops and their families, including improving accommodation provided both here and abroad.
However, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: "The Prime Minister does not seem to have learnt the lessons of Iraq. Without United Nations authority the military action was illegal and severely damaged Britain's reputation. This will be the Prime Minister's legacy.
"His closeness to President Bush has not served Britain's interest. The relationship with America is of vital importance to the UK but it has to be reviewed, renewed and restored. We need a partnership of influence not subordination.
"Britain has to learn that we will only be at our most effective in tackling terrorism when we operate within the rules and with allies of the same mind," said Sir Menzies.
(KMcA) |
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