Blair Tries to Calm Nerves Over Afghanistan

06/05/2001| IslamWeb

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Tony Blair will urge Britons this week to hold their nerve after a series of setbacks to the U.S.-led campaign against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan, Blair's spokeswoman said on Sunday.He will seek to reassure the public that Britain was right to back Washington's military strikes and that their combined action would overcome short-term difficulties as well as signs of muted but growing media skepticism.
The spokeswoman said officials had always expected ``ups and downs'' in the campaign, but believed it was important ``to remember we're doing this for the right reasons.''
Blair, who has stood shoulder to shoulder with President Bush since the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, had a 40-minute telephone conversation with Bush on Sunday.
The spokeswoman said they discussed the military campaign, diplomatic developments including the importance of the Middle East peace process, and the humanitarian situation.
Blair's comments come after Foreign Secretary Jack Straw warned that the three-week-old military action might grind on ''indefinitely.'' British military chiefs have said the campaign could take years.
Their release more than two days before he was due to deliver them indicated a fresh urgency in Blair's battle to shore up public support.
Military spokesmen in Washington and London have also been forced onto the defensive by misdirected U.S. bombing of civilians and Red Cross aid warehouses in Afghanistan
PHOTO CAPTION:
Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks on British Forces Broadcasting Services radio via a live link from London, October 26, 2001. Britain said on Friday that 200 elite commandos were ready for action in the U.S.-led coalition against Afghanistan. REUTERS/POOL/Peter J Jordan
- Oct 26 12:18 PM ET