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Blair's new tune hits headlines
18/07/2003 08:26 - (SA)
London - British Prime Minister Tony Blair's admission that finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was not vital to justify the war dominated the front pages of Britain's newspapers on Friday.
"Blair moves the goalposts" headlined the Daily Mail - the rightwing tabloid adding in its editorial that "this was Blair, the brilliant contortionist, trying to have it both ways".
In a speech on Thursday to a joint session of the United States congress, greeted by rapturous applause, Blair said: "If we are wrong (and weapons of mass destruction are not found), we will have destroyed a threat that, at its least, is responsible for inhuman carnage and suffering.
"That is something I am confident history will forgive."
He went on: "If we are right, as I believe with every fibre of instinct and conviction I have that we are, and we do not act, then we will have hesitated in the face of this menace when we should have given leadership.
"That is something history will not forgive."
The Guardian said Blair's shift on weapons of mass destruction had been a "rare admission of fallibility".
'Should have been much blunter'
It also was a "significant softening" and "watering down" of Downing Street's stance on the issue.
"History will be my judge," headlined The Independent - the paper adding in its editorial that Blair "should have been much blunter about the bigger picture" during his speech.
He could have used his address to "challenge American exceptionalism, to point out the fundamental contradiction between the nation's founding declaration, that 'all men are created equal', and the reality of its attitudes to the outside world."
The newspaper added that Blair's inability to deliver the blunt message had been a "weakness".
"In his missed opportunity, we can measure the shortcomings of our prime minister," said the daily.
In his speech, Blair appealed to the United States to confront terrorism and tyranny with values, not just guns.
"America must listen as well as lead - but don't ever apologise for your values," he said in the 40-minute address interrupted by standing ovations.
Work with Europe, Blair urges
"What you bequeath to this anxious world is the light of liberty," Blair said.
He also underscored the importance of transatlantic ties, saying a breakdown in relations between the United States and Europe would only encourage global mischief.
"Don't give up on Europe. Work with it," Blair said.
"What America must do is show this is a partnership built on persuasion, not command.
"Then the other great nations of our world, and the small, will gather around in one place, not many."
The Financial Times said the nature of Blair's call for closer transatlantic ties was "the most powerful evocation he has yet made of his core credo that the US and European Union must work together to tackle the problems of the world."
- AFX
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