The biggest change in my time in politics has been the degree to
which a problem in one part of the world far from us can have a
direct impact on Britain and the British people. Afghanistan has
reminded us what happens if we turn our back on a problem and
has also demonstrated how dangerous the world has become.
If India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers, went to war, it would
affect us here on our streets. If a conflict in the Middle East makes
the whole region unstable, we would see the consequences here in
the price of petrol at the pumps and in the effect it would have on
our jobs and industry. If Afghanistan were again to become a
haven for terrorism, we would not be immune, as September 11
showed.
In the new interdependent world, terrorists from several countries,
trained in Afghanistan, brought terror to the streets of America.
We acted in Afghanistan not just to hold to account those
responsible but also to prevent further planned outrages around
the world. And despite the immense problems of any military
operation in a country like Afghanistan, underlined by the deaths
of the US servicemen on Monday [4 March 2002], we have made
great progress towards our goals.
Al Qaeda and other international terrorists remain a serious threat
but we always made clear that the action against Al Qaeda and
their Taliban allies in Afghanistan was only the first stage in the
war against terror.
What we now have to face is the fact that there are irresponsible
states which either have, or are actively seeking, biological,
chemical and nuclear weapons. This is the threat which President
Bush rightly highlighted in his State of the Union speech.
We know, for instance, from his own history that Saddam
Hussein, the Iraqi leader, has mass destruction weapons and will
use them. He has an appalling track record of terror and
aggression against his own people and neighbouring states,
including the unprovoked invasion of Kuwait.
Saddam not only used chemical weapons repeatedly against
Iranian soldiers, but against his own citizens when he attacked
Kurds in northern Iraq. This is why, as a condition of the ceasefire
at the end of the Gulf War, the United Nations demanded -- and
Saddam agreed -- that its representatives should be allowed into
Iraq to dismantle his weapons of mass destruction and ensure he
did not replace them.
Before he kicked out the UN weapons inspectors three years ago,
they had discovered and destroyed thousands of chemical and
biological weapons, including thousands of litres of anthrax and
48 missiles. These were weapons he always denied having.
The UN inspectors were also convinced he had hidden other
deadly arsenals and the plants to manufacture more but, because
of his almost daily obstruction of their work, they could not track
them down. As they got closer, they were told to get out of Iraq.
So it is important we remain vigilant about the threat he poses. IF
we fail to continue to restrain Saddam Hussein, what is already a
volatile situation in the region could easily become a world crisis.
Guarding against that and dealing with this threat matters to this
country: to British lives; to British security; to British prosperity.
Just because we have managed to contain the threat from Saddam
for so long does not mean it has gone away. Saddam is continuing
his chemical and biological weapons programmes and is
developing the long-range missiles to deliver them. This explains
why the international community is so determined to get UN
inspectors back into Iraq and to make it possible for them to do
their job without obstruction.
How we act is a matter for discussion. Though Iraq seems far
away and Saddam, for the moment, is on the defensive, it is in the
interest of us all to face up to these threats with determination and
resolve.
Effective foreign policy and UK stability have never been more
closely linked. There aren't faraway problems that have nothing to
do with Britain. In today's world, they are our problems and they
are capable of hurting us if we don't deal with them and helping us
if we do.
What the lessons of America's leadership following September 11
demonstrate is that President Bush will consult widely with his
allies. Saddam Hussein would be wise not to mistake this for
weakness. He should not underestimate the determination of the
international community to prevent him developing and using
weapons of mass destruction.
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