British War Cabinet to Hold First Meeting TuesdayBritish Prime Minister Tony Blair on Monday set up a war cabinet that is expected to hold its first meeting on Tuesday.The war cabinet will consist of Blair, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown. Other members are expected to be Home Secretary David Blunkett, government Business Manager Robin Cook, International Development Secretary Clare Short and Sir Michael Boyce, chief of the defense staff. "It will certainly meet regularly," Blair's spokesman said. Blair has so far kept in close contact with his ministers but only on an ad hoc basis, leading to media speculation that he was taking sole control of the "war on terror." The British parliament was recalled for an emergency meeting in the afternoon and Blair is due to address the parliament members. On late Sunday, Britain joined the United States in an attack on Taliban targets in Afghanistan with missiles and bombs. The long-awaited attacks began almost four weeks after suicide plane attacks on New York and Washington D.C. Later Monday, Blair is scheduled to meet religious leaders from the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh faiths in his Downing Street office before opening an emergency debate in parliament. |
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