Labor Party backs Blair on Iraq

BLACKPOOL, England -- Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party gave him a hard-fought vote of support Monday, passing a resolution supporting the use of force against Saddam Hussein if all else fails and the United Nations supports it.

The party has been roiled for months by disagreement over Blair's tough stance on Iraq, with many dissenters expressing deep misgivings about the possibility of war.

But after an emotional two-hour debate at their annual gathering in the northern English resort of Blackpool, delegates passed a motion urging the government to exhaust every possible peaceful means to disarm Saddam through U.N. resolutions.

"The authority of the U.N. will be undermined unless it is enforced," the motion said. The party understands that "in the last resort this could involve military action but considers that this should be taken within the context of international law and with the authority of the United Nations," it continued.\