Blair denies war would destabilise Middle East

Tony Blair tried to allay fears over war with Iraq yesterday by denying that military action would destabilise the entire Middle East or unleash "more Bin Ladens".

At his monthly Downing Street press conference, the Prime Minister conceded that he had failed to communicate effectively his case against Saddam Hussein, but claimed opinion could be won round.

Mr Blair repeated his insistence that the Iraqi regime would be disarmed of its chemical and biological weapons "one way or another" and said he was confident that a second UN resolution backing war could be obtained "within weeks not months". But he also rejected suggestions that there was a "rush to war" and refused to rule out a French demand that the UN should wait until 14 March before making any decision on military strikes.

An opinion poll yesterday showed a slump in Mr Blair's popularity rating and a majority of the public against a war.

In a clear indication that last weekend's one million-strong peace march in London had a real impact, the Prime Minister adopted a markedly emollient tone as he admitted that he did "not have a monopoly of wisdom" on Iraq. He said people in Britain "rightly" worried about the consequences of a war against Baghdad, but it was his "duty as Prime Minister" to argue the dangers of inaction. "There was a huge emphasis by people on the march about the consequences of war, their fear about that," the Prime Minister said. "I think it is important we address that better."

Mr Blair countered suggestions that military action would trigger a wider regional conflict and provoke more terrorism against the UK. "I don't believe that those fears are justified," he said. "If I thought we were going to unleash something in which hundreds of thousands of people were going to die and we would have more Bin Ladens and the Middle East was going to go up in flames ... of course I don't think that."

Opinion poll evidence suggested that three quarters of people would back military action if it was supported by the UN, he said. "What people are against is a war that they feel is either rushed or unnecessary. We aren't actually at war at the moment. And I think the moment the public takes its final view of this will be the moment when we in fact take military action," he said.

A YouGov poll for today's Daily Telegraph revealed that most people did not object to military action against Iraq. A majority believed that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and that force should be used to disarm him if necessary, though a peaceful method was preferred.

Mr Blair promised he would listen to marchers' concerns, but urged them to listen to the testimony of Iraqi exiles on the horrors of life under Saddam. "I don't pretend to have a monopoly of wisdom on these issues or that I always know what's right and everyone else is wrong," he said.

Mr Blair refused to be drawn on a timetable for a new UN resolution, saying only that Hans Blix, the chief weapons inspector, would report back to the Security Council on 28 February and decisions would be made "over the next few weeks". Downing Street sources hinted last night that French proposals for a 14 March meeting could be approved because Mr Blix was due to report this month only on UN resolution 1284, passed in 1999, not the more recent arms control resolution, 1441, so another meeting would be needed.

Mr Blair said he still hoped to get a fresh UN resolution before any military action. "I still believe that we should have a second resolution. I still think there is a lot of debate to go on before we get to the point of decision in the UN." He said war was "not inexorable" but President Saddam's compliance was.