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Blair wins vote for Iraq war
LONDON, England -- UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has been given the go-ahead to pursue war against Iraq after the British parliament voted down a motion opposing military action. The House of Commons then passed a second measure calling for "all means necessary" to disarm Iraq. But Blair -- who was facing one of the toughest challenges in his career as Labour leader during Tuesday's session -- suffered a revolt with many party legislators voting against his Iraq policy and several notable resignations. Legislators voted 396 to 217 to defeat a parliamentary amendment by Labour Party rebels that declared the case for war "has not yet been established." About 135 Labour Party members voted against the motion. "Back away from this confrontation now and future conflicts will be infinitely worse and more devastating in their effects," Blair said during the House of Commons debate. In the second motion, Blair won a 412 to 149 vote to approve the government's resolution supporting the use of "all means necessary" to ensure Iraq's disarmament. Blair did not need parliamentary approval to take Britain into war. But observers said another rebellion in his ranks would be a major political embarrassment. In a vote on a possible war last month, 122 Labor lawmakers voted against the government -- the biggest revolt since Labour came to power in 1997. Opposition supportIain Duncan Smith, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, said he would back the government line because it was "in the British interest." Blair suffered early setbacks prior to Tuesday's session with the resignation Monday of senior Cabinet minister Robin Cook, from his post as leader of the House of Commons. Cook, a former British foreign secretary, told a packed parliament he could not support a war without international agreement or domestic support. (Cook speech) Lord Hunt, a junior health minister in the House of Lords, the upper chamber, and Home Office Minister John Denham announced their resignations Tuesday. Duncan Smith suffered three resignations from his front bench, including shadow environment minister Jonathan Sayeed, shadow home affairs minister Humfrey Malins, and shadow health minister John Baron. During Tuesday's debate, Blair told a packed House of Commons that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had failed to comply with previous U.N. resolutions, and he said he believed dictators and international terrorists come together to wreak havoc. He said he was concerned a dirty bomb might be set off in London or another major UK city. "Our fault has not been impatience, the truth is, our patience should have been exhausted weeks and months and even years ago," Blair said. Iraq was not the only threat to the rest of the world, but "it is the test of whether we take this threat seriously," he said. Failure to deal with Saddam would lead other nations to believe they could develop weapons of mass destruction with impunity, he said. The U.N.'s credibility would be destroyed if no action was taken, he said: "To continue with strong language and weak intentions is the worst course imaginable." Blair called for a new U.N. resolution covering humanitarian assistance as well as the administration and governance of Iraq. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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