Bush, Blair show solidarity on Iraq

LONDON -- Standing shoulder to shoulder with President Bush, Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed Thursday not to retreat "one inch" in Iraq after deadly attacks against British targets in Turkey. A somber Bush told the families of British soldiers killed in Iraq "they didn't die in vain," while anti-war demonstrators protested his European visit.

Tens of thousands marched peacefully through central London chanting "George Bush, terrorist!" and pulling down a 17-foot tall effigy of the president that recalled the toppling of the Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad.

The main focus of war allies Bush and Blair was on the deadly bomb blasts in Istanbul that hit the British consulate and a major British bank, killing more than two dozen people -- including the top British diplomat in Istanbul -- and wounding hundreds of others.

"The nature of the terrorist enemy is evident once again," Bush said at a news conference with Blair. "Our mission in Iraq is noble and it is necessary. No act of thugs or killers will change our resolve. ... We will finish the job we have begun."

Blair said, "What this latest terrorist outrage shows us is that this is a war. Its main battleground is Iraq."

Blair said the attack could not be blamed on Bush's visit, nor the U.S.-British alliance.

Still, both British and U.S. officials speculated the timing was deliberate, and the blasts the work of al-Qaida or affiliated terror organizations. The bombings bore "all the hallmarks" of an al-Qaida attack, said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

Bush and Blair said the attacks would only strengthen U.S. resolve in Iraq. Bush also appeared to raise the possibility that more U.S. troops might be sent.

"We could have less troops in Iraq, we could have the same number of troops in Iraq, we can have more troops in Iraq," Bush said when asked about U.S. troop levels. "Whatever is necessary to secure Iraq."

Aides quickly denied that Bush was signaling a change in the Pentagon plan to reduce troops to 105,000 by May from the current 131,600. There are 9,000 British troops in Iraq.

Indications from commanders in the field continue to point to continued U.S. troop reductions, the aides said.

The two leaders worked hard to project unity at a time when their support at home has eroded. But several key disputes between their governments -- over U.S. steel tariffs and nine British citizens being detained by the U.S. military in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- were left unresolved.

Bush was noncommittal about whether he would repeal the steel tariffs -- as urged by Blair -- following a World Trade Organization ruling that they violated international trade law. He said he would make "a timely decision."

Bush also defended the continued detention of British prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, saying they were "picked up off a battlefield."

Blair suggested the dispute would be resolved "at some point soon."

Bush and his wife, Laura, visited Westminster Abbey, participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

They then had an emotional meeting with family members of seven of the 52 British soldiers who have been killed in Iraq.

Bush told the families "their loved ones died serving something greater than themselves and didn't die in vain," according to an aide.

The relatives told Bush to "stay the course" and "keep going," Mrs. Bush told reporters.

She also toured an exhibit of ornamental Faberge eggs owned by the British royal family.

Later, Bush and Blair presided over a round-table gathering on American efforts to combat AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean. The president also was hosting a banquet for Queen Elizabeth II, in return for the one she threw for him the night before.

Anti-war demonstrations did not disrupt Bush's schedule, and he did not see or hear many of the protesters.

But they were noted. Two large flat screen televisions, positioned on either side of a senior Bush aide who was briefing reporters, flashed pictures.

The Stop the War Coalition, which organized the march, estimated the crowd at 200,000; London police said 70,000 participated.

"We're angry that Bush appears to be leading our country," said marcher Ted Edwards.

"Freedom is beautiful," the president said of the protesters. "All I know is that people in Baghdad weren't allowed to do this until recent history."

Asked by a local reporter why the British people disliked him, Bush responded: "I don't know that they do."