British Prime Minister Tony Blair ruled out a withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and gave no hint of when he would leave office -- two issues of burning interest to his governing Labour Party.
In a passionate speech to the party's annual conference on Tuesday, Blair said Britain had a duty to defend democracy in Iraq.
He set out a sweeping agenda for his final term in office, hoping his vision for Britain will quell demands from sections of the party that he step down early. Speculation over when Blair will quit has dominated the convention, with all eyes on his likely successor, Treasury chief Gordon Brown.
Blair gave no hint of when he would go, and instead promised bold reforms of Britain's public services. With critics agitating for a smooth handover to Brown within a couple of years, Blair's timetable to secure a political legacy other than Iraq may be tight.
"The world is on the move, the change in the early 21st century even greater than that of the late 20th century. So now in turn, we have to change again," said Blair, insisting the party must continue with what he calls modernization rather than shift back to the left.
He said that in the era of globalization, with increasing competition from emerging economies such as India and China, Britain must continue to invest in its skills base and in education. Blair also repeated his call for economic reform of the EU and held up Britain as a success story.
"This is a country today that increasingly sets the standard. Not for us the malaise of France or the angst of Germany," he said, pointing to high unemployment in continental Europe.
Blair's enthusiastic support of the US-led invasion of Iraq caused his popularity to slump, and although Labour won a third consecutive election earlier this year, its huge lead in Parliament was slashed -- prompting questions about his leadership and authority.
Disquiet about Britain's involvement in Iraq has grown since Sept. 19, when rioters in the southern city of Basra attacked British troops with petrol bombs when the soldiers attempted to rescue two comrades who had been detained by Iraqi police.
"I know there are people, good people, who disagreed with the decision to remove Saddam by force," Blair said. "Yes, several hundred people stoned British troops in Basra. Yes, several thousand run the terrorist insurgency around Baghdad. And yes, as a result of the fighting, innocent people tragically die. ... But eight and a half million Iraqis showed which future they wanted when they came out and voted in January's elections."
"And the way to stop the innocent dying is not to retreat, to withdraw, to hand these people over to the mercy of religious fanatics or relics of Saddam, but to stand up for their right to decide their government in the same democratic way the British people do," he said, to applause from delegates.
The conference is the first since Blair declared last year that he will not seek a fourth term in office.
Although he could serve as prime minister until 2010, some want him to step down in favor of Brown sooner. The issue has dominated chatter among delegates in the corridors of the vast conference center in Brighton, southern England.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was