British Prime Minister Tony Blair categorically told the press on Tuesday that it was Pakistan's prime responsibility to rein in seminaries teaching extremism and militancy. The prime minister vowed to use "all measures to root out terrorism" and said that laws would be made to tackle the menace of terrorism. He said that the new anti-terrorism laws would be reviewed at every level so that human freedom was not restricted. He said that he supported giving police expanded powers of detention under the proposed changes to anti-terrorist laws in the wake of the London bombings. "I think it's perfectly reasonable for us in circumstances of great difficulty to have a greater detention in order to interrogate people who are suspected of doing this," he told reporters.Blair said that there was no justification whatsoever for suicide bombing anywhere in the world. "There is no justification for suicide bombing whether in Palestine, Iraq, London, Egypt, Turkey, United States of America or anywhere. There is no justification for it, period," he told journalists. After being repeatedly quizzed at a Downing Street press conference about whether the London bombings this month might have been prompted in some way by the Iraq war, Blair rounded angrily on his critics. "The battle against terrorism must be unequivocal," he insisted. "I want to make one thing very clear to you. Whatever excuse or justification these people use, I do not believe we should give on inch to them," he said. Not in this country and the way we live our lives here," Blair said. "Not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, not in our support for two states, Israel and Palestine, not in our support for the alliances we choose, including with America. Not one inch do we give to these people. It is ludicrous to argue that suicide attacks could be excused in any circumstances."
| Couldn't have said it better myself. I've just said it more often. |