LONDON, April 10 (Xinhuanet) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair
went all out on Wednesday to calm fears of members of parliament (MP) over
possible action against Iraq amid a welter of questions in the House of
Commons about the issue.
Blair was grilled by MPs from all sides at a stormy Prime
Minister's Question Time, when he told them Britain would not be rushed
into a new offensive against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
But he stressed that he remained committed to a "regime change"in
Iraq.
"Simply turning our backs on the issue of weapons of mass
destruction is not an option," Blair said. "It is an issue that has to be
confronted, we will do it a sensible way, do it in a measured way, but we
cannot allow a state of this nature (Iraq) todevelop these weapons without
letup or hindrance."
Almost 150 MPs, 125 of whom from the Labor benches, have signeda
parliamentary motion expressing "deep unease" about possible action
against Saddam Hussein.
International Development Secretary Clare Short has expressed
concern from within the cabinet and is among those MPs who want any
military action to be sanctioned by the United Nations. Enditem
