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Blair calls involvement in attacks 'just'
©New York Times, LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair said Sunday night that British submarines had fired cruise missiles into Afghanistan as part of the opening salvos of the American-led war on terrorism, labeling the events "a moment of utmost gravity for the world." In a speech to the nation from 10 Downing St., Blair forcefully depicted Britain's role as not simply joining a coalition against Osama bin Laden, his al-Qaida network and supporters, but rather as acting in Britain's national interest and right to self-defense. Some 200 Britons were among those killed in the attack Sept. 11 at the World Trade Center. The British toll, Blair said, was "the worst terrorist outrage against British citizens in our history." But "even if no British citizen had died," he said, "we would be right to act. This atrocity was an attack on us all, on people of all faiths and people of none." "We know the al-Qaida network threatens Europe, including Britain, and indeed any nation throughout the world that does not share their fanatical views. So we have a direct interest in acting in our self-defense to protect British lives," he said. While Blair did not spell out the details of Britain's military action, it is no secret that more than 23,000 British troops backed up by naval units are in the Persian Gulf as part of maneuvers in Oman arranged long before the Sept. 11 attack. Those forces include submarines equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles, the aircraft carrier Illustrious with Harrier jump-jet warplanes and units of Britain's elite special forces. More than 20 British warships are part of the deployment. British news reports said Sunday night that two submarines had fired cruise missiles in the attack. In his address he insisted, too, that Britain had to defend itself against terrorism's threat to prosperity and would act to choke off the drug route from Afghanistan that, he said, supplies 90 percent of the heroin sold on Britain's streets. As knots of demonstrators who had heard President Bush's announcement of the attack gathered outside Downing Street to protest the assault on Afghanistan, Blair recalled Parliament from recess for the third time since the Sept. 11 attacks, apparently to pre-empt further criticism by those who accuse him of taking Britain into a war without consulting his Cabinet or Legislature. As is customary here at times of war, however, the newly-chosen opposition Conservative leader, Iain Duncan-Smith, himself a former military officer, made clear that the military actions had bipartisan support, saying his party stood "shoulder-to-shoulder" with Blair just as the prime minister supported President Bush. Blair said that U.S. authorities requested British support in providing access to the Diego Garcia air base in the Indian Ocean, air support and the use of Britain's missile-firing submarines. The requests, made Wednesday, had all been fulfilled, he said. "The missile-firing submarines are in use tonight. The air assets will be available for use in coming days," he said. He did not say how long the action would last. While there were dangers in taking military action, the dangers of inaction were "far, far worse," Blair said. "Britain has learnt that before in its history. We only act when the cause is just and in this case it is just," the prime minister said. "We will not let up or rest until our objectives are met in full." Those objectives, he said, were "to pursue those responsible for the attacks, to eradicate bin Laden's network of terrorism and to take action against the Taliban regime that is sponsoring him." He said Afghanistan's rulers "were given the choice of siding with justice and siding with terror, and they chose to side with terror." In his brief and somber address, Blair sought to underline that Sunday night's military attacks were part of a broader strategy encompassing diplomatic pressures and relief moves to ease the suffering of Afghan people facing famine. He was speaking one day after quick visits to Russia, Pakistan and India just before the attacks and four days after Britain released a dossier of what it called evidence against bin Laden and the Taliban. The prominence of Britain's role in support of the U.S. has inspired fears Britain could become a target for reprisals. "These are difficult and testing times for us all. People are bound to be concerned about what the terrorists may seek to do in response," Blair said. But, he said, there was "no specific credible threat" that he knew of to Britain. The decision to go to war, he said, had not been taken lightly. "But we know that sometimes to safeguard peace we have to fight. Britain has learnt that lesson many times in our history. We only do it if the cause is just. This cause is just."
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