Blunkett: We are not villains

Home Secretary David Blunkett has admitted that Britain and the US face a massive task in winning over ordinary Iraqis and confessed that the Allies were seen as "villains".

But Mr Blunkett insisted the coalition would achieve its war aims and "liberate" the people of Iraq from Saddam Hussein's regime.

He spoke out on a trip to Washington where he was meeting key members of President Bush's administration - including homeland security chief Tom Ridge.

Mr Blunkett hit out after anti-war Labour MPs reopened their criticism of the war, with one of them, George Galloway, describing Tony Blair, Mr Bush and their soldiers as "wolves".

The Home Secretary acknowledged coalition forces had an uphill task. He said: "We know that for the moment we will be seen as the villains. We knew that from the reaction before the conflict started."

But he added that would change "once this is over and there is a free Iraq, with a democratic state, building the affluence that can come from an educated people with enterprise and capability".

At that stage, he said: "The population as a whole will say that we want a free country, we want a state to live in where we can use our talent to the full." He said they would prefer this to the current situation where they are "60 per cent dependent" on the food for oil programme.

Mr Blunkett said on BBC2's Newsnight that the coalition would achieve their aims. He added: "I really am not frustrated but mystified at how people can write off the action we are taking, the likelihood of a very positive response from very large tranches of the Iraqi people after such a short period of time."

He added: "We are going to win this conflict, we are going to liberate the people of Iraq, and we are going to put the Jonahs behind us."

Asked whether the conflict would make terrorist attacks against the UK more or less likely, Mr Blunkett argued: "It will be less likely because we will have taken out a rogue state, we will have sent a message to those who fund and support terror across the world."

Mr Blunkett's pledge reinforced a promise given earlier by Mr Bush, in which he vowed to end the "nightmare world" in which ordinary Iraqis had lived for decades.

The President said: "We're coming with a mighty force to end the reign of your oppressors. We are coming to bring you food and medicine and a better life. And we are coming and we will not stop, we will not relent. Many dangers lie ahead, but day by day we are moving closer to Baghdad, day by day we are moving closer to victory."

Mr Bush, described by top aides as frustrated by news reports questioning how long the war might last, said it had been 11 days since the major land invasion had begun and US troops had performed brilliantly "in this short time".

He added: "In 11 days coalition forces have taken control of most of western and southern Iraq. In 11 days we've seized key bridges, opened a northern front, achieved - nearly achieved complete air superiority and are delivering tons of humanitarian aid."

Mr Bush vowed to bring "freedom and dignity" to the Iraqi people. He said: "Many Iraqis have been ordered to fight or die by Saddam's death squads. Others are pressed into service by threats against their children. Iraqi civilians attempting to flee the liberated areas have been shot and shelled from behind by Saddam's thugs." He gave a reason why the US and British forces on the ground might be receiving a sceptical response from Iraqis.

"The people of Iraq have lived in this nightmare world for more than two decades. It is understandable that fear and distrust run deep," he said.

Meanwhile, a leading Arab ally of President Bush called on Saddam to make a war-ending "sacrifice" by stepping down.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Price Saud al-Faisal, underlined the jitters being felt around the region over the fierceness of the fighting in Iraq and the possible length of the campaign.

He said of Saddam: "Since he has asked his people to sacrifice for the country he should be the first to sacrifice for his country."

Prince Saud, whose country strongly opposes the war despite its closeness to Washington, repeated earlier calls for a halt to the fighting to make room for more diplomacy.