London, Apr 04: Prime Minister Tony Blair will make a personal pledge to help rebuild Iraq in a leaflet to be distributed in the country, his office said today. Blair's spokesman said the pamphlets, which are currently being printed, will be distributed in their thousands by British troops as well as being posted on Arabic-language web sites and e-mailed to Iraqi opposition groups. In the leaflet, Blair promises that "as soon as Saddam Hussein's regime falls, the work to build a new, free and united Iraq will begin. "A peaceful, prosperous Iraq which will be run by and for the Iraqi people," he says, according to text released by his office. "Not by America, not by Britain, not by the UN - though all of us will help - but by you, the people of Iraq." The leaflet attempts to overcome fear and suspicion caused by the 1991 Gulf war - when US-led forces encouraged Iraqis to rise up against Saddam Hussein, then abandoned them to their fate.

"For too long, the world ignored the plight of the Iraqi people. That was wrong. We know and understand that many of you live in fear of Saddam," Blair says.

"We promise that the events of 1991 will not happen again. We have pledged to remove Saddam. And we will deliver. Once he has gone, we will help Iraq rebuild itself, and become once more a member of the international family of nations."

He also said British and American troops will leave "as soon as they can."

Bureau Report