Two thirds of British voters believe that a military attack against Iraq is not justified. According to the poll published Monday in The Daily Telegraph, only 28 percent of those questioned said they felt a US military operation against Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein could be justified in the current circumstances.
Ninety percent warned that such strike would result in revenge attacks against the West, while 82 percent said attacking Iraq would result in numerous civilian victims. A majority of 62 percent said such action could lead to a larger Middle East war.
Meanwhile, one of British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s key allies said in a newspaper interview published Monday that the British leader is not going to send any troops to support US attack against Iraq unless he is absolutely convinced that war is the best option.
Peter Mandelson, a former minister in Blair's government added the Americans "cannot be surprised that Europe and the world is reacting in a confused way when the message we are getting from the Administration is not clear."
"Public opinion is being wound up by a mixture of partisan figures, armchair generals focusing on the risks of action rather than the consequences of failing to do anything, the lack of an international language from the White House and the mixed messages from the Administration," he added.
"Together all those things are creating an unknown quantity which people understandably at this stage are increasingly worried about." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
