PM Confirms Visit to Iraq

Matthew Tempest and agencies
Guardian Unlimited
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/
Wednesday May 28, 2003

Tony Blair confirmed this morning that he is to visit British troops in Iraq as part of his trip to the Gulf.

Downing Street is keen not to portray the visit as a "victory tour", instead describing the trip as a personal thank you from Mr Blair to British troops for their role in the Iraq conflict.

Mr Blair's announcement to reporters accompanying him on board his chartered aircraft as he headed for the Gulf broke the strict veil of secrecy which had shrouded his movements, although the timing and itinerary of his tour are still being kept under wraps.

The prime minister gave no details of when he will enter Iraq, or which cities he will visit, but the trip is expected to take place within the next 48 hours.

Tonight, Mr Blair is due to arrive in Kuwait City for talks with the Crown Prince and the Emir.

He will be the first Western leader to visit Iraq since the conflict, although the US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, made a brief visit to US troops at the end of April.

The US president, George Bush, is also thought to be planning a trip to the country.

Mr Blair, asked if the visit to Iraq was important for him personally, said: "Yes, it is important. But it's most important to thank the troops on behalf of the country because this was, more than any other conflict in recent times, a very, very tough conflict.

"And people risked their lives, in some cases lost their lives, and so it's right that I go there and I see the troops there and thank them personally and thank them personally out in the theatre."

Mr Blair went on: "I want to see the British troops to thank them for their magnificent performance during the Gulf conflict."

He also said he would be having talks with Britain's new representative in Iraq, John Sawers.

He said he wanted to discuss with the Kuwaiti leadership the prospects for the region generally and to thank them for their help during the conflict.

Asked directly if there was an element of triumphalism in his visit, Mr Blair replied: "No. It's very much one of thanks for the troops who are there still in difficult circumstances, difficult physical circumstances for them, and doing a very good job."

Mr Blair was asked if there would be a mood of celebration when he meets the troops.

He replied: "It's certainly one of gratitude for our troops but also there is still a lot of work to be done in putting things right in Iraq and we need to discuss with the people on the spot what more they need from us and the political leadership to make sure the reconstruction of Iraq proceeds apace."

He said this was an important moment for the region, with the prospect of the Middle East peace process moving forward again and the chance to rebuild Iraq.

Mr Blair said he was more optimistic about both the security situation in Iraq and the prospects of good governance than some reports led people to believe.

"The reports I have had out from people who have been there have been a great deal more optimistic than some of the reporting.

"Down in the south, in Basra and some of the towns there, life is returning to normal.

"It's important to realise that electricity and water supplies have never been there in the fullest extent.

He added: "In Baghdad there has been a serious security problem but let's not forget this country does have its freedom."

Mr Blair also repeated his belief that weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq.

"I have said throughout and I just repeat to you, I have absolutely no doubt at all about the existence of weapons of mass destruction and rather than speculating, let's just wait until we get the full report back from our people who are interviewing the Iraqi scientists.

"We have already found two trailers that both our and the American security services believe were used for the manufacture of chemical and biological weapons."

But he stressed: "Our priorities in Iraq at the moment are less to do with finding weapons of mass destruction, although that's obviously what a team is charged with doing. The more immediate priorities are to do with humanitarian tasks and reconstruction."

UN agency Unicef warned this month the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition in Iraq had nearly doubled since before the coalition invasion.

Despite the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime,there has been no indication from Iraq, Washington or London about the whereabouts or health of the former leader.

The trip will provide some welcome images for the prime minister at a difficult time - this week Mr Rumsfeld admitted that weapons of mass destruction may never be found in Iraq, and the government's own legal advice, that an occupation and restructuring of Iraq without a UN resolution would be illegal, was leaked.

Direct Link:
--http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,965613,00.html