Blair refuses to recognise Bush's 'axis of evil' Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit "I'm No Poodle," Says Blair (Woof, Woof!) Times of London - May 16, 2002 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-297904,00.html May 16, 2002 Blair refuses to recognise Bush's 'axis of evil' By Philip Webster, Political Editor TONY BLAIR repeatedly refused to endorse President Bush's description of three rogue states as an "axis of evil" last night as he dismissed accusations that he was a "poodle" of the United States. The Prime Minister appeared to soften his stance slightly over military action against Iraq by suggesting that if President Saddam Hussein allowed in the weapons inspectors it would make a difference to the situation. Mr Blair, in the second instalment of his BBC Two Newsnight interview, also declined to say that it was his objective that Saddam be toppled at all costs. "My position is that it would be highly desirable if Saddam Hussein were to be got rid of," he said. He added: "If you then make the leap, does that mean that military action is imminent? No. We have never said that. We have said: 'Here is an issue. It has to be dealt with. We will deal with it, but how we'll deal with it is an open question.'" Mr Blair was challenged eight times to back Mr Bush's description of Iraq, Iran and North Korea as an axis of evil, but he repeatedly declined to endorse the phrase. He said: "We make our own speeches. I think the President was right to say weapons of mass destruction are a real issue and an evil in the world. "What I'm saying to you is that what the President was referring to is the issue of weapons of mass destruction and support for international terrorism," he said. "There are real issues in respect of all those countries." He added: "You can sit here all day and put to me phrases that President Bush and other leaders have used. I choose my own phrases. I choose my own way." Mr Blair acknowledged that people had described him as Mr Bush's poodle, but insisted the accusation was false. "That's what people do. What they want to do is to pull us apart, to say to people you have to choose between your relationship with Europe and your relationship with America," he said. "I totally, fundamentally, dispute that. We are stronger if we are a partner of America in Europe and we are stronger, in Europe, if we are a partner of America. People who try to pull apart Britain and America or Europe and America are doing a disservice to all of us. I passionately believe that." Mr Blair admitted that he had no idea where Osama bin Laden was, but said he was confident that the terrorist mastermind would eventually be captured. Allied military action in Afghanistan, he said, had wiped out bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in that country. "(The campaign) has been a success but it is not complete yet." Command of the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, the Afghan capital, would be handed over to Turkey within weeks, he said, but British troops would remain in Afghanistan for some time to come. He denied that Britain had an open-ended commitment in the country, but said: "We will stay on in some capacity or other to try to help the Afghans to develop their own army and security force. I think there are about 1,300 troops now in Kabul. "I can't say exactly when we'll get every last one of those out." ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytact-05.16.02-11:49:40-18408