Bush defends 'measured force'
2003-11-19 17:30
London - US President George W Bush has marked the first full day of his state visit to Britain with a key speech defending the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
"In some cases, the measured use of force is all that protects us from a chaotic world ruled by force," Bush said on Wednesday during his address at Banqueting House, a government building near Buckingham Palace.
"We can't turn a blind eye to oppression just because that oppression is not in our own backyard," he said. "Who will say that Iraq was better off when Saddam Hussein was strutting and killing or that the world was safer when he held power?"
Bush has received strong support for his policy in Iraq from British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and the president emphasised the historic ties between the US and the UK.
"The British people are the type of partners we want when serious work needs doing," Bush said. "So much now depends on the strength of that alliance as we go forward."
Blair, answering questions in the House of Commons Wednesday, defended Britain's close relationship with the United States and the coalition's handling of the situation in Iraq.
"It really is about time we started to realise who are allies are, who our enemies are, stick with the one and fight the other," he told lawmakers to loud cheers.