US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were to end their weekend summit at Bush's Texas ranch yesterday after talks dominated by the situation in the Middle East and Iraq.
Bush was returning to Washington while Blair was to go to the presidential library of former president George Bush at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, to deliver a speech and answer questions.
Both the US and Britain have increased the rhetoric against Iraq in recent weeks. At a news conference on Saturday, Bush and Blair said all options are on the table for dealing with Iraq but stopped short of threatening military action.
Bush explicitly reiterated his administration's policy was to remove Saddam Hussein from power, while Blair, who faces some stiff opposition at home to direct military action against Iraq, also said: "Iraq would be a better place without Saddam Hussein."
At a joint news conference af-ter talks at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, Blair said he was sure Saddam was developing weapons of mass destruction and had no doubt he would use them against his enemies without hesitation.
"The issue of weapons of mass destruction cannot be ducked. It is a threat. It is a danger to the world. We must heed that threat and act to prevent it being realized," Blair said.
Blair's words were seen by British political commentators as the strongest signal yet that he is prepared to back any US decision to launch military action against Baghdad.
Bush said "all options are on the table" for dealing with Iraq. Blair agreed, but stressed no decisions had been taken.
In the speech he was due to make in Texas yesterday, Blair will say he expects US-led moves on Iraq to be decided in a "calm, measured, but firm" way, just as they were on Afghanistan.
Officials traveling with Blair said he and Bush had talked one-on-one and long into the night about the global war on terrorism declared after the Sept. 11 attacks on the US, violence in the Middle East and the issue of the threat posed by Iraq.
The two leaders also were given a briefing by the US Central Intelligence Agency early on Saturday, but officials would not divulge details.
Bush bluntly said he backed a "regime change" in Baghdad. Blair was less direct, but echoed the president's sentiment: "It has always been our policy that Iraq would be a better place without Saddam Hussein," he said.
In his speech yesterday, Blair was to reiterate the message that action must be taken against Iraq.
"Leaving Iraq to develop weapons of mass destruction in flagrant breach of ... United Nations Security Resolutions ... is not an option," he was set to say, according to an advance text.
Blair faces stiff resistance from his partners in the EU and at home if he backs any US plan to launch a military offensive against Baghdad.
Opponents in his own Labour Party have criticized what they see as his slavish following of Bush's line. Some have dubbed him "Bush's poodle."
At the ranch, Bush and Blair spent the weekend in consultations about Iraq and ways to bring about a ceasefire between Israelis and Palestinians.
Bush interrupted the sessions on Saturday afternoon to call Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and appeal to him directly to end a military incursion into Palestinian West Bank cities.
Blair's visit was kept low key, with no pictures of him enjoying himself at the ranch out of respect for the period of mourning for Britain's Queen Mother, who died a week ago.
INSURRECTION: The NSB said it found evidence the CCP was seeking snipers in Taiwan to target members of the military and foreign organizations in the event of an invasion The number of Chinese spies prosecuted in Taiwan has grown threefold over a four-year period, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report released yesterday. In 2021 and 2022, 16 and 10 spies were prosecuted respectively, but that number grew to 64 last year, it said, adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was working with gangs in Taiwan to develop a network of armed spies. Spies in Taiwan have on behalf of the CCP used a variety of channels and methods to infiltrate all sectors of the country, and recruited Taiwanese to cooperate in developing organizations and obtaining sensitive information
Seven hundred and sixty-four foreigners were arrested last year for acting as money mules for criminals, with many entering Taiwan on a tourist visa for all-expenses-paid trips, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Saturday. Although from Jan. 1 to Dec. 26 last year, 26,478 people were arrested for working as money mules, the bureau said it was particularly concerned about those entering the country as tourists or migrant workers who help criminals and scammers pick up or transfer illegally obtained money. In a report, officials divided the money mules into two groups, the first of which are foreigners, mainly from Malaysia
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
RSS