Blair Defends Foreign Intervention

Tony Blair today defended his "thoroughly interventionist" foreign policy in a farewell speech in Africa.

In a passionate defence of his commitment to Africa over the past decade, the prime minister urged the continent's leaders and the west to square up to the challenges ahead.

Speaking at the University of South Africa Business School in Midrand, near the capital Pretoria, Mr Blair said Africa was a subject "close to my heart" and had been at the top of his foreign policy agenda throughout his decade in power.

The prime minister made a robust defence of his twin policies of intervention and support to help African countries.

"It is easy for people to mock the pretensions of an interventionist policy, and intervention never fares as well as we would like," he said.

"But consider the alternative and then make the choice. Suppose we did nothing. Actually we do not need to hypothesize. We did nothing or as little as Rwanda slid into genocide, as Hiv/Aids grew ... as governments in the 1980s and 1990s faltered or strayed from a proper path.

"The international action of the past few years hasn't transformed Africa, but it has undoubtedly made it better."

Mr Blair cited Darfur as a prime example of the need to act as well as give financial aid to a continent beleaguered by poverty, Aids, and conflict.

The Sudanese president, Omar al-Bashir, seemed "intent on bombing his way to a solution" and obstructing the African Union's efforts to improve security in a country that has seen 200,000 people dead, 4 million dependent on food aid, and millions fleeing over the border.

"We must offer president Bashir a choice," Mr Blair said. "Engage with us on a solution, or if you reject responsibility for the people of Darfur, then we will table and put to a [UN] vote sanctions against your regime."

Mr Blair tasked both the west and the Africa Union countries to commit to raising people out of poverty and providing universal access to education and healthcare for people affected by HIV/Aids.

Speaking of the millennium development goals as part of "landmark" commitments made at the G8 Gleneagles summit two years ago, Mr Blair cited progress but insisted there was "much more to do".

The aid provided by the west was not enough to fulfill the promises made, he said.

"G8 and the European Union must reaffirm their commitment to increase aid, and set out a path showing how they will do this."

Mr Blair said African governments also had to meet their obligations, such as delivering their promises to "consolidate democracy", put in place the infrastructure needed to deliver essential services, and redouble their efforts to stamp out corruption.