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The going is tough, says Tony Blair

Hasan Suroor

LONDON: British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday admitted that the "going'' in Iraq was "tough'' but rejected calls for an end to the occupation describing Iraq and Afghanistan as "decisive battlegrounds'' for Western "values''.

"We must not hesitate in the face of a battle utterly decisive as to whether the values we believe in triumph or fail... If the going is tough... we tough it. This is not the time to walk away. This is a time for courage to see it through,'' he said in a speech to the Australian Parliament.

Mr. Blair had a taste of the widespread anti-war sentiment in Australia when protesters, displaying placards saying: "B.Liar'' and "Troops out of Iraq,'' raised slogans and blew whistles outside the Parliament building as he was addressing MPs. Australian Opposition leader Kim Beazley, who has promised to pull out his country's troops from Iraq if his Labour Party came to power, made clear that he disagreed with Mr. Blair's policy on Iraq though he praised him for his "leadership.''

Mr. Blair acknowledged that the Iraq invasion had divided both Britain and Australia but justified the continued occupation. His remarks fuelled the anger among anti-war activists who have been pressing the Australian Government to withdraw its remaining troops from Iraq.

He also acknowledged that sometimes Americans were "difficult friends to have'' but dismissed the worldwide anti-Americanism as "madness''.

"I don't always agree with the U.S. Sometimes they are difficult friends to have. But the strain of, frankly, anti-American feeling in parts of European politics is madness when set against the long-term interests of the world we believe in," Mr. Blair said.

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