25 May 2006
Tony Blair says blame for the violence taking place in Iraq should rest firmly on the shoulders of the terrorists.
In an interview with Al Jazeera television, he said there was "no excuse" for violence or barbarism and it was not the fault of the multinational force, or the Iraqi government.
The PM held talks with the new government in Baghdad earlier this week and will give his impressions of his visit when he meets with US President Bush in Washington later today.
It was time, he told Al Jazeera, for the international community to stop "disenfranchising the Iraqi people".
He said:
"The Iraqi people have elected their government. If the Iraqi government turns round to us and says tomorrow get out of the country, we are out. They are not saying that though, because they know that because of the violence and terrorism, that they need us until the Iraqi capability builds up."
Iraq’s economy has grown by 10 per cent, the PM pointed out, and 14 of its 18 provinces were "relatively quiet". But he accepted that other parts of the country were "very, very difficult".
Mr Blair will deliver a speech on foreign affairs while in the US. We will have full coverage of his visit, including live coverage of his speech, on our website tomorrow.
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