Blair shares in Iraqis' sense of 'liberation'

Despite his caution over continuing warfare Mr Tony Blair last night allowed himself to share in the joy of Iraqi citizens celebrating…

Despite his caution over continuing warfare Mr Tony Blair last night allowed himself to share in the joy of Iraqi citizens celebrating their promised "liberation" on the streets of Baghdad, writes Frank Millar, London Editor

The British Prime Minister joined staff inside Number 10 Downing Street watching the historic television images of the toppling of Saddam's statue amid a rising sense among Iraqi people that the dictator's reign is over.

As Mr Blair prepared to discuss the remarkable scenes and the ongoing military campaign with President Bush by telephone, his official spokesman said: "What we have seen today is the scales of fear falling from the eyes of the people of Iraq. They are able to express themselves for the first time in two decades."

Number 10 continued to echo Mr Blair's caution that "this conflict is not over" and allied forces could still face "intense resistance" from forces still loyal to Saddam.

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Asked if "victory" was already at hand, Mr Blair's spokesman said: "I think it is premature, whenever there are still parts of the country that the Coalition does not control and when the situation on the ground in Baghdad remains as fluid as it is."

That allied victory was still incomplete, the spokesman added: "I think we will know the moment when we see it."

One anxiety in Downing Street last night was that, while Saddam's command and control structure appeared to have disintegrated, the capacity to order a halt to the fighting might also have gone.

That was reflected earlier yesterday in the Commons when Mr Blair said it was "extremely difficult. . .to know what's left of the governing higher ranks of Saddam's regime."

Mr Blair agreed with Conservative leader Mr Iain Duncan Smith that the allies would need to be clear that anyone delivering a final declaration of "surrender" had "the appropriate authority."

With the allied forces looking beyond the immediate task of making Iraq militarily secure to the business of policing and providing civic administration, Mr Blair told the Conservative leader it might be necessary to send British reinforcements to help with the new tasks.

Mr Blair repeated his belief that Saddam's alleged weapons of mass destruction did exist and agreed there should be some form of independent verification of weapons seized.

Mr Duncan Smith suggested this verification process should be undertaken by the UN weapons inspectors.

Mr Blair was also speaking to French President Chirac last night amid signs of a lessening of hostilities between Britain and France over the role of the UN in the post-conflict reconstruction of Iraq.

Downing Street suggested Mr Chirac had been wrongly interpreted as suggesting the UN "alone" should bear that responsibility.

In the Commons Mr Blair said he saw no reason why the movement towards an Interim Iraqi Administration could not be achieved "in a collaborative way".