21 December 2004
The Prime Minister has visited British troops at their base in Basra.
Earlier he met Iraq’s interim Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, in Baghdad, where he paid tribute to his ‘leadership and courage’.
Tony Blair stressed the importance of supporting Iraq’s interim Government and the Iraqi people, to enable free elections to be held on the 30 January.
He also visited the British Embassy and met members of Iraq’s Electoral Commission, describing them as the ‘heroes of the new Iraq’.
He said that he felt a great sense of ‘honour and humility’ being in Iraq.
"There surely is only one side to be on in what is now very clearly a battle between democracy and terror.
"If Iraq becomes a stable, democratic country and we defeat the terrorism here - which is the same kind of terrorism that we face the world over - if we defeat it here we deal it a blow worldwide.
"If Iraq is a stable and democratic country, that’s good for the Middle East and what is good for the Middle East is actually good for the world, including Britain. That’s why it is important for us too."
He said that the Iraqi people want democracy and freedom and Britain wants to help them achieve that.
Extra information
- Read the full transcript of the press conference
- More information on Britain’s military operation in Iraq (external link)
- Information on Iraq on the Foreign Office website (external link)
delicious
digg
facebook
