Blair Plans to `Stay the Course' in Iraq as Violence Builds

[sabra]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aELETv6paPC0&refer=europe

Blair Plans to `Stay the Course' in Iraq as Violence Builds

Aug. 3 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair said he plans to ``stay the course'' in Iraq after the outgoing British envoy to the country warned that it is more likely to descend into civil war than form a successful democracy.

``However tough it is, we'll see it through,'' Blair told a regular news conference in London. Earlier, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported that U.K. Ambassador William Patey told the government in his last cable to London that Iraq may fragment along ethnic lines.

Iraq has experienced intensifying sectarian violence between its Shiite and Sunni Muslim populations since the Feb. 22 bombing of the Shiite Golden Mosque in Samarra. Patey said in his cable that, while the situation ``is not hopeless,'' Iraq is likely to be ``messy and difficult'' for the next five to 10 years, the BBC, which said it had obtained the memo, reported.

...

At his news conference, Mr Blair told reporters that the violence is being caused by al-Qaeda and ``from the backing of extremists outside the country,'' as well as from the sectarian conflict. Securing Baghdad will ``start to change the whole situation in Iraq,'' Blair said.

[Rose Siding]

1. Here's a rpt on the leaked memo-

snip>
The bleak assessment of the country's future was contained in Mr Patey's final e-cable, or diplomatic telegram, from Baghdad.

The distribution list included the UK's prime minister, foreign secretary, defence secretary and House of Commons leader, as well as senior military commanders in both Iraq and the UK.

Mr Patey wrote: "The prospect of a low intensity civil war and a de facto division of Iraq is probably more likely at this stage than a successful and substantial transition to a stable democracy.

"Even the lowered expectation of President Bush for Iraq - a government that can sustain itself, defend itself and govern itself and is an ally in the war on terror - must remain in doubt."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5240808.stm

[truebrit71]

2. "Good Boy! Now lay down! Good Boy! Roll Over!"

What a turd.... :eyes:

[MrCoffee]

3. A fate worse than death

Can you imagine what life must be like to be Chimpy's puppet? I mean, to wake up every day and have to look at yourself in the mirror? The horror...the horror

[LiberalFighter]

4. Blair is running the show in Iraq? Since when?

[SOS]

5. Carlyle Group made another deposit into his Swiss bank account?

nt

[acmavm]

6. So, Poodle has obviously been in bush**s stash of stupid

pills.

Side effect must be to make one a liar as well.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. What course?

More death and destruction?

If the busdriver is heading straight for a brick wall are we supposed to just shut up and sit there?