Blair vows to tackle North Korea menace

By JO DILLON

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday vowed to tackle the menace of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, voicing his support for multilateral talks as tensions worsen.

After a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, at his mountainside retreat in Hakone, Mr Blair said: "There is a real danger posed by North Korea and its nuclear weapons programme, and I do not think we can turn away from that danger or pretend it doesn't exist."

Shots have been exchanged in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea in recent days, and Seoul said yesterday that the North Koreans had moved heavy artillery closer to the dividing line. But while Japan favours engaging in talks with North Korea, Britain is spearheading plans to send in Royal Navy ships as part of a multinational blockade of North Korea.

The Ministry of Defence would not confirm that British naval vessels are due to head for the region after Britain last month signed up to the Madrid Initiative - a plan by 11 countries to stop weapons technology entering or leaving North Korea.

But the Secretary of State for Defence, Geoff Hoon, recently told journalists in Canberra, the Australian capital, that the blockade should be extended to ships and aircraft suspected of carrying contraband which could finance the country's nuclear programmes.

Mr Hoon said: "We do need internationally to work together to isolate North Korea and to demonstrate that we will not tolerate the way in which they both develop and proliferate weapons of mass destruction." The blockade would be "consistent" with the aims of the invasion of Iraq.

The British stance on North Korea, however, has prompted fears that Britain is ready to be drawn into another American-led war. Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP and former soldier, predicted Britain could again be at war "within a year".

Peter Kilfoyle, a former Labour defence minister, said: "North Korea is on the same list as Iraq. We pulled back east of Suez and it seems as though we are expanding our role again, presumably at the behest of the Americans. I really don't see where our national interest is involved or imperilled in any way. I think it reflects the determination of our Government to have a hand in anything the Americans come up with. It is outside the long-term strategic thinking of the UK and it is outside its interests."

Many on the Labour backbenches are also furious that no statement has been made to Parliament on the Government's intention to step up its involvement in North Korea.

"You just get a fait accompli," Mr Kilfoyle said. Tony Lloyd, a former Foreign Office minister, said the policy would only work if there was international agreement rather than "a couple of nations setting themselves up as world policeman". We should be "listening to the Chinese, the Japanese and the South Koreans and others before hurtling off into what might be seen as arbitrary action".

- INDEPENDENT