Blair and Bush Broadcast Tv Messages to Iraqis

Britain and the United States projected a post-Saddam television service towards the homes of millions of Iraqis yesterday, broadcasting what officials insist is "balanced" news of the conflict from a converted US military transport plane above the war zone.

The highlights of yesterday's debut of Towards Freedom TV were messages from George Bush and Tony Blair, subtitled in Arabic, designed to reassure Iraqis raised on "a diet of lies and propaganda" that the coalition wants "the government of Iraq and the future of your country" to belong to Iraqis.

With most Iraqis restricted to state-controlled TV and satellite dishes banned to all but the reliable elite, Downing Street was confident that a ready audience would be found once the station could demonstrate reliability and interest.

But with power cut in most of Baghdad it was not clear how many in the Iraqi capital received the coalition message last night.

Broadcast on domestic television frequencies and run with the help of an Iraqi advisory panel, it is, Whitehall says, a stopgap measure until a pluralistic and independent media can be established.

Most of the four hours a day of programmes will come from US sources, covering war news, culture, and practical advice on health and other problems linked to the crisis, notably those involving water, food and medical supplies.

Towards Freedom Radio has been broadcasting from the converted Hercules C-130 known as Command Solo since March 20. Officials said Britain's hour-long contribution, costing the MoD £10,000, would be produced by an independent company, World Television. It already provides television services for the Foreign Office, which is overseeing the project on behalf of the coalition.

In his message, recorded with President Bush when they met at Hillsborough on Tuesday and first transmitted yesterday, Mr Blair said: "We did not want this war. But in refusing to give up his weapons of mass destruction, Saddam gave us no choice but to act. Now the war has begun, it will be seen through to the end."

Mr Bush stressed the need to end "an era of cruelty and fear" and to help the Iraqi people rebuild their society now that "Saddam's corrupt gang" was being removed. He stressed that the coalition's goals were "clear and limited".

As well as "respecting" Iraq's "great religious traditions whose principles of equality and compassion are essential to Iraq's future", Mr Bush promised that US forces would leave Iraq when it was ready to be "a unified, independent and sovereign nation that has regained a respected place in the world".