LONDON — There are indications that Britain’s strong support for the United States in the Iraq crisis, along with its willingness to commit troops, may be cooling. The announcement Tuesday of pending British troops movements was far less dramatic than had been anticipated, and statements from political leaders indicate a possible cooling of the war fever that has been building for months.

Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon told the House of Commons Tuesday 1,500 reservists would be called up for possible deployment to the Gulf. Weekend reports, citing Ministry of Defense sources, had said a 20,000-strong armored division would be on its way and 8,000 reservists would be put on alert but these proved unfounded.

The newspaper that printed the first report, the Daily Telegraph, which has good contacts to the military, said Tuesday there was "continuing uncertainty over the scale of Britain’s contribution to any operations inside Iraq", adding this uncertainty was frustrating generals concerned over the approaching hot weather in Iraq. British diplomats, particularly those posted to Arab countries, are deeply worried over the looming conflict. The Guardian reported Monday telegrams from embassies had flooded into London in a "collective cri de coeur".

Diplomats were warning of potentially devastating consequences, in particular a boost to terrorists of the Al-Qaeda stamp, the left- liberal newspaper said. The convening of an unprecedented conference of more than 100 top diplomats in London appeared aimed at assuaging these concerns. Prime Minister Tony Blair went out of his way to reassure the ambassadors. "I would not commit British troops to a war I thought was wrong or unnecessary but the price of influence is that you do not leave the US to face the most difficult issues alone," he said Tuesday.

The previous day Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had highlighted concerns that rogue states like Iraq and North Korea could pass weapons of mass destruction to terror organizations, but commentators were quick to note that no evidence of this had been found.

Last year, retired generals, senior church leaders and civil servants joined politicians on the left wing of Blair’s Labour Party in an unusual coalition to voice concern over the increasing belligerence shown by government ministers. And opinion polls show at most 40 percent of the electorate in favor of a war against Iraq, with a similar proportion against and some 20 percent undecided.

The BBC’s political pundits said Blair was facing criticism from senior colleagues worried that Britain might back the US in an attack on Iraq without clear new evidence or a fresh UN mandate. Blair had been advised that this would contravene international law, they said.

While Blair once again highlighted the dangers posed by Saddam Hussein and Iraq’s attempts to procure weapons of mass destruction, he used his speech to the diplomats to urge the US to listen to wider concerns. "The problem people have with the US is not that, for example, they oppose them on weapons of mass destruction or international terrorism," Blair said. "People listen to the US on these issues and may well agree with them, but they want the US to listen back," he said in clear, if muted, criticism of Britain’s main ally.

"So for the international community, the Middle East peace process is also important, global poverty is important, global warming is important, the United Nations is important," he said.

Blair’s words will be welcomed by many in his party. And those anxious about the wider implications of a new Gulf War were breathing a cautious sigh of relief. (DPA)

— Arab News Opinion 9 January 2003