Blair bids a farewell to Labor stalwarts

MANCHESTER, England -- Prime Minister Tony Blair, addressing his Labor Party's annual conference for the last time, warned Britain that if it retreats from Iraq and Afghanistan after he leaves office, ``we will be committing a craven act of surrender."

In an emotional hour-long address, Blair spoke of a need for a strong alliance with the United States and a British commitment to a global fight against terrorism.

Blair, 53, said recently that he would resign within a year. Since he became prime minister in 1997, his ratings have plummeted because of domestic scandals, fatigue with a third-term government, his backing of the Iraq war and his links to President Bush.

But Blair won a sustained standing ovation after a televised address that seemed like the beginning of the country's goodbye to him. ``Of course, it's hard to let go," he said.

In what some interpreted as a reference to his much-criticized decision to go to war in Iraq, Blair said: ``The British people will, sometimes, forgive a wrong decision. But you know something, they won't forgive not deciding. They know the choices are hard."

``Yes, it's hard sometimes to be America's strongest ally," Blair said, ``But believe me there are no half-hearted allies of America today." He said strong ties are needed with both Europe and the United States even though ``at the moment I know people only see the price of these alliances."

``Nothing we strive for, from the world trade talks to global warming to terrorism and Palestine can be solved without America or without Europe," he said. Give up these alliances, he said ``and the cost in terms of power, weight and influence for Britain would be infinitely greater."

Blair said he would ``dedicate" his waning days as prime minister to trying to broker peace between Israelis and Palestinians. In a distancing from Bush administration policy, he also said Britain should strive to lead in bioscience: ``If America does not want stem-cell research -- we do."

``He is the political phenomenon of our age," said Michael Smyth, a partner at a London law firm. To many people there, a feeling hung that an era was ending.