British Prime Minister Tony Blair echoed close ally George W. Bush Wednesday, claiming Iraq had links with al Qaeda militants, while recasting himself in a role as global ambassador ahead of possible war against Baghdad. Blair flies to Washington this week to meet Bush, talked to the leaders of France, Canada, Australia, Turkey and Greece on Tuesday, meets Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi Wednesday and will stop in Madrid en route to the United States. “We do know of links between al Qaeda and Iraq — we cannot be sure of the exact extent of those links,” he told parliament. Britain has been more equivocal up to now but appears to be firming up its language to match that from Washington. Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said Monday the government was aware of strong links between the Iraqi regime and terror organizations but said evidence of ties with al Qaeda were “much less strong.” Full Story
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