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We need to defeat Osama Bin Laden's narrative too, says Tony Blair

Aired May 2, 2011

PIERS MORGAN, HOST: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was the key ally for President George W. Bush in the war on terror. He's currently the Middle East Quartet representative and he joins me now.
Mr. Blair, when did you hear the news that bin Laden was dead?

TONY BLAIR, MIDDLE EAST QUARTET REPRESENTATIVE: I heard it in the very early hours of the morning. And you know, obviously it was just an extraordinary thing to hear after such a long time. And it's a tremendous achievement.

My sincere gratitude to President Obama, to the American people who engaged in the operation and, of course, the fight against terrorism still goes on, but I think today also, it's a time to remember the people that died and the families that still mourn them.

MORGAN: Did you ever think this day would come?

BLAIR: Well, you know, I think I -- when I first thought about it, I was sure it would happen. And then as time went on, you know, you began to wonder whether it would. But I think what this shows, in a sense, a really important thing that comes out of it is people knowing that however long it takes and however difficult, however challenging, however many on obstacles there are in the way, that our determination to pursue people who engage in the slaughter of innocent people, deliberate slaughter of innocent people, will be brought eventually.

MORGAN: I'd like, if you can, to put your head into the White House yesterday morning it was when Obama took that decision. You' been in that same position several times as British prime minister, sending troops into a very dangerous situation like that where anything can happen.

Just talk me through the mindset when you do that.

BLAIR: It's probably one of the toughest parts of leadership because it's a decision in the end that you've got to take. I mean, at that point, the seat of the decision maker is a pretty lonely one. And there will, of course, have been an immense amount of work, preparation done. There'll have been, you know, over the course of the previous months a lot of meetings and so on.

But then you come to the point which is whether you're prepared to authorize the operation or not. And then you got to take all the advice you can, as sure as you can, but right at the very end, as I know, haven taken some of these decisions, it's a very, very tough moment. And you hope and pray you got it right, which in this case, President Obama did.

MORGAN: Tell me, you're in Jerusalem now . I was there a few weeks ago. And the fascinating thing about being there was it suddenly didn't seem like the only story in town in the Middle East.

And as you see the events unfolding in Afghanistan and all over the Middle East now, clearly, you're in a great position to assess this. But in order of priority, what should we be prioritizing now? Because bin Laden was found in Pakistan. Other al Qaeda leaders may well be lurking there, too.

Should we be making more effort there now than perhaps we have been in the last few months?

BLAIR: Well, I think the -- the problem is, Piers, that this is an issue all over this region and beyond. So sometimes, you know, you might worry about Afghanistan or Pakistan or even Iraq or there's Lebanon, or you could look at Somalia.

You know, you can look at what has happened in Gaza recently and the issue out here in Jerusalem. The trouble is that there's two separate things working at the moment on this region. One is people who are -- tend to be open minded in their attitude, they want democracy, they want the types of freedoms that we've got.

And then you've got this other group who are extreme and based on a perversion of Islam, want to wage a kind of holy war. So you saw that almost in the reaction to the killing of bin Laden today. The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, said it was good news. The Hamas leadership came out and said they condemned the killing of what they called a holy warrior. So, you know, right throughout this region, you've got this divide in place. And I think -- you know, you're absolutely right. I think we've got to -- even with this news, which is a great achievement, we've got to keep our minds focused on this wider issue, which is to do with how does this region turn out? Which group of people win? How do we support the modernizing, moderate, sensible elements within it.

MORGAN: You worked closely with President Bush over the years. And, you know, after 9/11, I remember you coming out here and clearly being very moved by what happened to New York City that day.

Have you spoken to President Bush since the news of bin Laden's death?

BLAIR: We've been in touch actually together, yes. And you know, for me, it was a very simple thing. The attack happened in America. There were predominantly American citizens who died, but actually Britain lost more civilians in the 9/11 attack in a single act of terrorism than any other atrocity perpetrated against Britain, even during the course of the Irish terrorism.

So, you know, for us, it was also a very important moment. And the thing about it was this. This is what clarified it for me at the time of 9/11 attack. I regarded it not just as an attack on America, but an attack on a way of life that America represents and leads but we share, which is a belief in freedom and democracy, and also a belief that people of different races and faiths and cultures can come together and co-exist peacefully together.

And the whole purpose of this attack and the attacks that have followed subsequently in which, by the way, many, many Muslims have died, the purpose of those attacks by bin laden and by al Qaeda and other terrorist groups is to destroy the possibility of that peaceful co-existence.

So there's a sense today of, you know, achievement and a sense also that this is some mark by which we have indicated our complete determination to root these people out. But I don't think we should be under any illusion either. This battle, this struggle still goes on.

MORGAN: Tony Blair, thank you very much.

BLAIR: Thank you, Piers. Thank you.