Posted on 09/04/2002 8:42:27 AM PDT by MadIvan
Downing Street has confirmed that UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to fly to America for talks with US President George Bush.
Mr Blair meets President Bush at his official Camp David retreat on Saturday when tackling the alleged threat posed by Iraq is certain to top the agenda.
Describing Iraq's Saddam Hussein as a serious threat, President Bush said: "I look forward to talking with Tony Blair about our mutual concern to make the world safer."
The UK prime minister on Wednesday again promised to produce a dossier of evidence against Iraq "in the next few weeks".
Dossier details
Visiting his Swedish counterpart in Stockholm, Mr Blair said the dossier would show why the United Nations was right to impose a weapons inspections regime on Iraq in the first place.
"That is material to do with chemical, biological, nuclear weapons of mass destruction and also on the nature of the regime," said Mr Blair.
The precise form of the dossier had yet to be decided, he said.
"It will be designed to show people why it is that adherence to those United Nations resolutions matters."
Gathering pace
Plans for the two leaders to meet were expected but their talks are to be held even sooner than expected.
Mr Blair's words at a special news conference on Tuesday and President Bush's message after facing questions from US congressional leaders on Wednesday have fuelled speculation about the prospect of military action.
The US president is to go to the UN next week, where he said he would "state clearly what I think".
"I will first remind the Unite Nations that for 11 long years Saddam Hussein has sidestepped, crawfished, wheedled out of any agreement he made not to develop weapons of mass destruction," he said.
"And so I'm going to call upon the world to recognize that he is stiffing the world."
'Persuasion needed'
Mr Blair has been warned his dossier of evidence against Iraq will have to be very convincing to stand any chance of limiting the unease about the prospect of military action.
Labour MP Bruce George, chairman of the Commons defence committee, said he hoped the promised dossier would be published in time for Labour's annual conference, in order to head off any potential unrest.
The TUC leadership is expected, at a meeting on Thursday, to welcome publication of the dossier - but will insist there must be no unilateral attack on Iraq and that the United Nations must be consulted.
Bush needs to do the same. Then things can get rolling.
The UN will be in charge of fretting and hand-wringing, while continuing to collect their stipend from the USA.
To me, the main difference between Blair and Clinton is that although they are both "third-way" liberal politicians -- third way = media-savvy polititicos who are aligned with business interests that "toe the liberal line", Blair seems to be genuine, whereas Clinton is totally and sociopathically cynical, a self-aggrandizing buffoon. Ditto for his evil spouse, except that she is a power mad monster.
Many thanks to yours and ours.
I for one would prefer to find a solution to islamist terrorism that would avoid declaring war on a billion people. Regarding our passive response to Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, etc. I have no argument with you. We should bring the hammer down on them big time. And too bad that Bush will not do that unless another MAJOR incident occurs that is directly traceable to them. They get a pass in favor of international relations. But it's not about Islam per say, IMO, it's about the militant insurgency within Islam, the islamic militants. As many of them as there are, and wherever they are, they should be obliterated.
Interesting hypothesis!
How inseeeeensitive! LOL!
IMO, the whole weapons inspection program was a fiasco, a game of "Two-card Monty", wherein neophytes like Scott Ritter -- now a paid agent of Iraqi interests -- were totally bamboozled into thinking that they had "discovered" any significant elements of Saddam's WMD programs in the early 90's. It was all a sham. The inspectors inspected where Saddam permitted them to inspect. It was a child's game, and Saddam won and we lost, that's all. Why else would that butt kissing Ritter be putting up such a fight (aside from being paid by Iraqi interests)? It's because once the truth comes out, his credibility will be lower than that of an Arkansaw politician or aattorney.
Weapons inspection is a losing, PC/UN proposition, as VP Cheney and Secretary Rumsfeld so ably pointed out this past week. Powell, well, what can one say? He was wrong in '91 and he is wrong today.
ROFLMAO!
Yes. How often in history has this lesson been lost? Thereafter, the price rises painfully, non?
Bump!
And, if I recall correctly, this was from an awesome speech by both leaders immediately post 9-11. Bush was stand up. So was Blair. Made me proud to be citizen of the USA and a kindred of the Brits. Sempre Fi.
This PIA, Saddam is about 11 years overdue for removal.
Can anyone else see history reapeating?
Along the same lines as the most recent incursion into Ashcanistan. Tony Blair will go public with "our" combined intel, this time on the Iraqi WMD programs etc.This will give the world the impression that this is not just a "cowboy" gone crazy sort of thing.
Bush or his assigns will petition the UN in such a way as to make it clear that we are going in regardless. Once this was made clear in 1991 by his Pop we had many more "coalition" members than we did when we started.
You know its an election year when it comes to war on Iraq nothing of any real consequence is being uttered by the Dems, and most of what is being reported as opposition to the war is coming from the previous ,Bush41, administration. Most of that critisism is due to lack of "Coalition".
This will be rectified soon and when the talking heads revisit the previous objectors they will have had a change in opinion. This will leave a large vacum in the anti-war block of heads,that will swallow any Dem that opens his mouth in opposition at such time.....
The pool is still open and predictions are still being accepted!
Breathing a sigh of relief now that he's gone? My sigh in January 2001 could have been heard all the way in Sydney. ;)
Regards, Ivan
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