Public opinion in Britain could swing behind a war on Iraq if a second UN resolution was voted to call for one, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said this evening.
"If there were a second UN resolution, then I think people would be behind me. I think if there is not, then there is a lot of persuading to do," he told a televised debate broadcast by the BBC.
Mr Blair, who was facing a studio audience of people opposed to a war, acknowledged that Iraq did not present an immediate threat to Britain but said the country could not afford to allow Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to develop weapons of mass destruction.
"I have never said that Iraq is about to launch an attack on Britain, but if you look at the history of Saddam Hussein I think there is absolutely no doubt at all that he poses a threat to his region.
"If he was to use chemical, nuclear or biological weapons in the rest of his region there is no way Britain could stand aside from that," Mr Blair said.
Earlier today, British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said Britain was to boost its total deployment of warplanes in the Gulf and Turkey to some 100 over the next few weeks, in preparation for possible military action against Saddam's regime.
The force includes Tornado F3 interceptors, Tornado GR4, Jaguar and Harrier fighter bombers, Tristar refuelling aircraft, Hercules transporters, and helicopters, and will be backed up by some 7,000 support personnel.
Britain has already committed 30,000 troops, 120 tanks and a 17-vessel naval task force led by the aircraft carrier Ark Royal to a potential US-led war.
The new deployment came after US Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday presented what he said was evidence that Iraq was failing to disarm its biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programmes - a presentation which Baghdad has dismissed as lies.
Mr Blair yesterday said Britain would be prepared to launch military action alongside America, even in the absence of a second resolution, in the event of an "unreasonable, capricious use of the veto" by a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
But Mr Blair added tonight: "I don't think that is what will happen. "I don't think we will get to the position of vetoes."
AFP