Blair 'obsessed' with WMDs: Close

12.00.00am GMT Mon 5th Jan 2004

ALLIANCE MLA Seamus Close has criticised the Prime Minister for his continuing use of 'weapons of mass destruction' as justification for the war in Iraq.

Mr Blair again mentioned WMDs as reason for going to war on his surprise visit to Basra at the weekend, although none have been discovered.

Mr Close said: "How many people have to die before Mr Blair admits his error? What is his obsession with WMDs? Is he simply trying to perpetuate his mass deception of the public, who knew all along that WMDs were a red herring?

"Although the war was successful in military terms, it was justified on the basis of a threat that didn't exist, and given the continued bombings and terrorist threats in Iraq and around the world in recent days, playing poodle to George Bush certainly hasn't made the world a safer place.

"Now that the Government has acknowledged that coalition troops will be in Iraq for the long haul, we can only hope that the Hutton inquiry throws some light on why we entered a major war under totally false pretences."