Rabina Ahmed: But so many Iraqis, so many British people, so many Americans are going to die. Innocent blood is going to flow.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/feb/07/foreignpolicy.iraq1
Tony Blair: If you get into war and conflict it is true -
Rabina Ahmed: Can it be avoided?
Tony Blair: Well it can be avoided if Saddam abides by the United Nations - if we do take military action, we have to do everything we possibly can to minimise the civilian casualties. Of course we've got to do that. But I simply do say to you, the people that have suffered most from Saddam are the Iraqi people themselves. I mean I spoke to ten Iraqi exiles the other day, who were women, who described to me, not just the deaths of members of their family, but the appalling human rights abuses, torture, the fact that they were still, some of them, under threat of death - living abroad - from this guy. I mean, you know, this, this is not a humane regime -
Rabina Ahmed: No coming back to my question.
Jeremy Paxman: No one denies the man's a monster.
Tony Blair: Yes, but that is of importance then in asking how do you deal with someone - okay let's accept ...
Jeremy Paxman: She's asked you about deaths of innocent people, I mean as a Christian how do you feel about innocent people dying? As they always die in war. [applause]
Tony Blair: That is why you avoid war if you possibly can, and that is why we went through the United Nations. Now there were innocent people, I'm afraid as well as guilty that died in Kosovo, and in Afghanistan. But in the end I felt on both occasions we had no option but to do this. And I remember at the time of Kosovo, I remember saying no let the peace negotiations go on several more weeks in order to try and get them sorted so that we didn't have to take on Milosevic. But when you say that Saddam is a monster that is irrelevance, I'm afraid, to how you deal with the situation because a monster is not somebody you want to allow to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Jeremy Paxman: The question is what freedom he has under the current inspection regime but we've discussed that already, I want to explore a little further about your personal feelings about this war. Does the fact that George Bush and you are both Christians make it easier for you to view these conflicts in terms of good and evil?
Tony Blair: I don't think so, no, I think that whether you're a Christian or you're not a Christian you can try perceive what is good and and what is, is evil.
Jeremy Paxman: You don't pray together for example?
Tony Blair: No, we don't pray together Jeremy, no.
Jeremy Paxman: Why do you smile?
Tony Blair: Because - why do you ask me the question?
Jeremy Paxman: Because I'm trying to find out how you feel about it.
Tony Blair: Possibly.
Jeremy Paxman: Right, would anyone else like to have a question?
