IRAQ: The new interim Iraqi government will enjoy "full sovereignty" following the planned handover of power on June 30th, the Mr Tony Blair has told MPs. Vowing once again "to stay and get the job done" Mr Blair agreed with Liberal Democrat leader Mr Charles Kennedy that the new government should have "full sovereignty and the authority that goes with it" in respect of controlling both prisons and oil revenues - while rejecting calls for a fresh Commons vote before the further deployment of British troops.
However he also faced a warning yesterday from his Conservative predecessor, Mr John Major, that the coalition faces "a herculean task" to meet its deadline for free elections in Iraq by next January. "The prize at the end of this is a very great one," he said: "The prize of a democratic Iraq next to a democratic Turkey will revolutionise the whole position in the Middle East."
While stressing he was more concerned with the risk to British troops than with the prime minister's fate, Mr Major told the BBC radio 4's Today programme Mr Blair could not credibly leave Downing Street while his policies were "in flux." Mr Major's comments were seen in some quarters as a gentle rebuke for the current Conservative leadership which, under Mr Michael Howard, has been distancing itself from Mr Blair over the handling of the post-conflict situation in Iraq. Despite confusing signals from Number 10 about an "exit strategy", Mr Howard chose not to raise the issue yesterday.