Lib Dems back France on veto threat

Liberal Democrats remain opposed to war without a new United Nations resolution, leader Charles Kennedy said.

Mr Kennedy rejected Government claims that France was acting "unreasonably" by threatening to veto any fresh resolution.

"They are reflecting a large strand of international opinion," he said.

The Lib Dem leader, speaking at the start of his party's Spring conference in Torquay, Devon, was also keen to stress his party would unite behind British troops if they were sent into battle.

He said: "If ... British troops find themselves in a position where they will be committed into action, then at that point obviously we want to see the whole country as well as all of Parliament unite in support of all those troops."

That should happen "whether we agree our military personnel should have been placed at this time and in this way in such a situation", Mr Kennedy said.

He stressed it was "imperative that Iraq is disarmed".

But the passing of UN resolution 1441 last year "was unanimous in the name of the international community.

"It set in train a motion, a series of events, in terms of the weapons inspectorate, that should be given the time and the opportunity to complete their task.

"When only one week ago Dr Blix came back to the United Nations and ... said he was making progress and required more time, we certainly take the view that that opportunity should be given. So if we were to find, as a result of the kind of discussions that are going on internationally, that there is not a second resolution achieved then the Liberal Democrats would not be supporting the decision to commit British troops.

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