No Decision on Iraq Imminent, Blair Says

Facing strong domestic opposition to possible military action against Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair stressed Thursday that no decision on an attack was imminent. But he refused to promise to seek Parliament’s approval in case of any plan to strike.

“I think we are getting ahead of ourselves on the issue of Iraq,” Blair told reporters at a televised news conference. “We’re not at the point of decision.” But, he added, “I’m not going to commit myself to any particular form of consultation.”

In the House of Commons on Wednesday, legislators asked the prime minister to promise to recall Parliament from its summer break if he planned to commit British forces to action in Iraq.

“We have not got to the stage of military action,” Blair replied. “If we do get to that stage at any point in time, we will, of course, make sure that Parliament is properly consulted.”

But he refused to say what form that consultation would take.

Traditionally, decisions about military action are made by the prime minister after consultation with the Cabinet, and Parliament is usually given a chance to debate, if not to vote.

Blair, a strong U.S. ally, has said he believes that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, in addition to his chemical and biological ones.

Blair said in a recent magazine interview that if the time came for action against Iraq, “people will have the evidence presented to them” to show that Hussein “is trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction, in particular a nuclear capability.”

The prime minister repeated demands for Hussein to readmit United Nations weapons inspectors -- “unconditionally, any time, anywhere, anyplace.”