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Blair Asks British People to be Ready for War Casualties
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned Britain to prepare for casualties as air strikes continue on Afghanistan.
In an exclusive interview with The Observer, Blair said he could not see an alternative to military action against the Taleban if Osama bin Laden's terrorism was to be defeated.
"We obviously do everything we can to limit the possibility of casualties among men and women when we send them into action," he said. "You have to decide what you believe is right and recognize it is a very heavy responsibility."
Blair told the paper the first phase was action in Afghanistan against the perpetrators of the 11 September attacks.
"When we move to the second phase, which is about tackling terrorism in all its forms, how it is financed, how these groups operate, how they acquire weapons - then that's something we have to discuss with our partners," he said.
Blair said any military action in Afghanistan must be balanced with progress in Mid-east negotiations, insisting that the United States, Britain and the other allies were doing their best to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The prime minister spoke of creating a ceasefire period that would allow negotiations to start between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
"You need to construct at least the right platform of security so that people feel they're not seeing funerals on their television screens, heightening the tension and anger and bitterness, then the violence."
Blair is due to meet Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in London on Monday to discuss the international terror crisis.
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