Beijing, July 22: British Prime Minister Tony Blair today said that going to war with Iraq was "the right thing to do," and insisted that weapons of mass destruction would be found. "It is better to be rid of Saddam Hussein," Blair told an audience of students at a Beijing university.
Blair, nearing the end of an Asian tour, was speaking a day after holding talks with Chinese leaders in an effort to heal strains in relations over the Iraq war, which Beijing opposed.
The prime minister expressed confidence that coalition inspectors in Iraq would find evidence of programmes meant to develop weapons of mass destruction.
"I have no doubts that Iraq was trying to develop these weapons," Blair said.
The prime minister, whose characteristic wide grin was back on his face after a difficult start to his Asian tour, seemed pleased to take questions during the informal session at elite Tsinghua university.
Responding to a student who asked whether he had any regrets about going to war, Blair said, "I believe that no matter how difficult it was, it was the right thing to do. In terms of the security of the world and the suffering of the Iraqi people, it is better to be rid of Saddam Hussein."
One student asked Blair how he felt when he heard of the suicide of military adviser David Kelly as the prime minister flew from Washington to Japan, and how he could "regain your people's trust".
"This is a desperately sad time for the family of Dr. Kelly," Blair said, the smile now gone from his face.
Bureau Report