Clarke lashes out at Blair’s Iraq policy

LONDON – A veteran politician vying to lead Britain’s main opposition Conservative Party yesterday accused Prime Minister Tony Blair of making the country a bigger terrorist target by helping to invade Iraq.

Kenneth Clarke made the aggressive comments in his first public speech since announcing he would enter a race for the Tory leadership on Wednesday. Another likely contender in the hotly contested battle, education spokesman David Cameron, is due to deliver a rival speech later in the day.Clarke, 65, told members of the Foreign Press Association in London: “The disastrous decision to invade Iraq has made Britain a more dangerous place.”He said the threat of Islamic terrorism had been around for a number of years, but Blair’s close relationship with US President George W. Bush and his high-profile role in the US-led Iraq war had heightened the risk.Clarke – who as the last Tory finance minister laid the foundations for Britain’s ongoing prosperity – bucked his party line on Iraq, refusing to join other Tories in supporting Blair’s decision to invade.He acknowledged, however, “What has been done, has been done…What matters today is what we do now.”- Nampa-AFPAnother likely contender in the hotly contested battle, education spokesman David Cameron, is due to deliver a rival speech later in the day.Clarke, 65, told members of the Foreign Press Association in London: “The disastrous decision to invade Iraq has made Britain a more dangerous place.”He said the threat of Islamic terrorism had been around for a number of years, but Blair’s close relationship with US President George W. Bush and his high-profile role in the US-led Iraq war had heightened the risk.Clarke – who as the last Tory finance minister laid the foundations for Britain’s ongoing prosperity – bucked his party line on Iraq, refusing to join other Tories in supporting Blair’s decision to invade.He acknowledged, however, “What has been done, has been done…What matters today is what we do now.”- Nampa-AFP