UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is coming under growing pressure from some of his closest aides to apologize for mistakes made during the Iraq conflict and its aftermath.
While the prime minister has so far resisted the calls, aides in his inner circle believe a speech clarifying his view on weapons of mass destruction and an admission that the aftermath of the war has not gone entirely as planned would help win back public trust and heal a fractured Labour Party.
Party managers recognize that Blair will have to address the issue of Iraq in his annual Labour party conference speech at the end of this month, but are said to be even more concerned about the way Iraq continues to play badly with the electorate.
One member of Blair's inner circle with close links to the Labour Party rank-and-file said that discussions over a possible speech were continuing, but that the prime minister had yet to be moved by the arguments.
Officially, his office in Downing Street, London on Saturday said Blair has already admitted that Iraq has been deeply divisive inside the Labour Party and among the public.
Downing Street is bracing itself for the final report of the Iraq Survey Group, which is thought to have found little new evidence of weapons programs, but hopes to draw a line under the issue. A spokesman said last night: "The prime minister remains convinced that it was right to take the actions taken."
He confirmed Blair was adamant that no further clarification or apology was necessary, but added: "I don't want to pretend that these matters are not discussed. In Downing Street, all sorts of conversations take place. But it is not clear what form such a clarification would take. We have acknowledged that the issue has been divisive and that we might not find weapons of mass destruction."
But some close to Blair believe there could yet be a way of apologizing to the public without admitting errors of judgment over the key decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
US President George W. Bush has admitted that mistakes have been made in Iraq since the official end of hostilities in April last year and it is thought that a Blair clarification might take a similar form.
Downing Street is thought to have been deeply shaken by the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison earlier this year, and believed that they were potentially more damaging than claims that the government had misled the public over the threat from weapons of mass destruction.
It is well-documented that Blair and his inner circle had serious concerns that, during the build-up to war throughout 2002, failure to gain UN backing could destroy party unity and even bring down the government. The intervention of French President Jacques Chirac in March last year to apparently rule out a second UN resolution authorizing force gave a way out, but for many in the party this remains a serious issue of concern.
Labour Party membership hit a new low of 215,000 this month, and has nearly halved since Blair came to power in 1997. Some are urging him to make an announcement at the party conference about the date of withdrawal of British troops from southern Iraq.
Mark Seddon, editor of the left-wing Labour magazine Tribune and a National Executive Committee member, said: "An apology is the right thing to do to encourage people back to the Labour Party. But the Iraqis have shown themselves capable of dealing with the situation in Najaf without British or American help. Now might be the right time for Blair to take the initiative and announce the date for the withdrawal of the first units of British troops."
Also See Story:
Iraq may still determine Blair's future
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique