Blair: World Must Stay Committed to Iraq

01/26/2007

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) - Making his third and last appearance at the annual World Economic Forum here as Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair says he has come because it is important for the world to act collectively to tackle problems - and he does not mind the criticism at home.

In an interview with The Associated Press, he highlighted themes he would like to be remembered for: Africa, climate change, and world trade. And he warned that the world must not shrink from its commitment to achieve success in Iraq, nor be discouraged by the "terrible pictures" it sees of violence in the country.

He backed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government in Iraq and President Bush's immediate plans to increase troops there. He said he believes the Iraqi prime minister can meet the benchmarks the United States has set.

"He's a man with the intent and we've got to support him in having the capacity. That's what it's all about," Blair said.

Blair was interviewed fresh from a speech appealing for greater help for Africa - a session where his friend and political ally U2 musician Bono also appeared. Seated in an easy chair, he was chatting with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) chairman and co-founder Bill Gates when reporters arrived.

His official spokesman had said earlier in the day that Blair's main goals for the conference were to rally momentum on the long-stalled Doha round of World Trade Organization talks and seek progress toward an agreement on climate stabilization.

But the visit has drawn criticism in Britain, where Blair has been beset by political problems, including calls for him to step aside soon to allow Treasury chief Gordon Brown, his designated heir, to take over.

In an interview for the GMTV Sunday program on Friday, a Labour former minister, Frank Dobson, said Blair's influence is on the wane and there was no point in his going to Davos.

"If Tony Blair is going to international meetings, people are thinking, well there's not much point in talking to this man because he's not going to be around," Dobson said.

Blair chuckled when he heard about the criticism, and leaned in toward his questioner.

"The thing about me is, there is criticism of me whatever I do," he said. "You know, if I decide whether I'm going to come to a place on the basis of whether I get criticism of not, I wouldn't go anywhere," he laughed. "I wouldn't even go outside the front door."

Blair planned a major speech Saturday that his spokesman said would focus on steps business in can take to make progress on trade and environmental issues.

He missed seeing David Cameron, the youthful British opposition Conservative leader seeking to oust Blair's Labour Party from office. Cameron left Davos Friday. Brown was also at Davos, but it was not clear if he and Blair had met.

He was most serious talking about Iraq. Asked whether British and Americans were losing patience, he said: "Perfectly understandably they want to know that we've got a plan and can succeed with this plan."

Blair, who has said he will leave office this year, said that the world is already facing a serious climate challenge. "We're living through a crisis with the changes to our environment."

"The fact is, just on the precautionary principle, it'd be sensible to act. And the truth is, if we don't act, and in a way that binds the main countries in ... longterm prospects are bleak at best, and potentially disastrous."

On trade talks, Blair said he was cautiously optimistic, because of the hard work that has been done in the last few weeks in discussions with Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"I think we are prepared to move to make the compromises necessary to get this done in the greater good of all of us," he said.

In Iraq, Blair said the important thing now is to support the Iraqi government in its fight against the violence, "which is being perpetrated by a small number of people against the wishes and the will of the majority."

He disputed that the violence there is a civil war "with blocs of people fighting each other. This is a small minority ... often bolstered by outside extremists."

"The one thing that was very clear when I was in Iraq before Christmas was that if you talk to not just Iraqi leaders there, but, interestingly, talking to my own soldiers and people we have in Iraq, they will tell you the majority of people there want to live a peaceful life."

In any case, "What mustn't happen is a situation where as a result of terrorist activity designed to kill innocent people and the impact those terrible pictures make, that we lose our determination to stand up to these people and defeat them."

Blair would not say what he intends to do when he leaves office. "Do you think even if I had decided I would tell you?"

His future is "something that will take care of itself in time," he said. "The thing is to make sure that in the time I am prime minister that I can get progress on the issues that I am passionate about, of which Africa, climate change and world trade are three."