More than 100 lawmakers are expected to challenge Blair’s hard-line position on Iraq

LONDON, February 26 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – British Prime Minister Tony Blair is facing a major revolt by lawmakers as his hard-line stance on Iraq is put to vote in parliament on Wednesday, February 26.

According to press reports, more than 100 lawmakers, including some 80 Labor legislators, will vote against or abstain from a government motion calling on Iraq to take "its final opportunity" to disarm, reported Agnce France-Presse (AFP).

The vote will follow a day-long parliamentary debate on Iraq, announced last Friday, February 21 by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw as he argued the moral case for a U.S.-led war.

In addition to the government's motion, parliamentarians are hoping to be allowed to vote on their own amendments.

More than 100 lawmakers are ready to support an amendment, tabled by Labor and opposition Conservative MPs, arguing that "the case for military action (is) yet unproven."

A separate amendment, tabled by the opposition Liberal Democrats, argues that inspectors must be given "sufficient time" to uncover Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

Blair faced his largest party revolt back in 1999 when 67 Labor MPs went against party orders and voted against government plans to slash state benefits for the disabled.

Speaking late Tuesday, February 25, Labor Party chairman John Reid said it would be a matter of regret should 80 Labor MPs go against party orders this time and oppose the government over Iraq.

"I regret that. But I think it doesn't represent the 75 percent of people throughout the country who say in the last instance we will be prepared to do this (go to war), especially through the United Nations," Reid told BBC television.

Blair, Washington's chief ally in the Iraq crisis, Tuesday rejected proposals to give Baghdad more time to disarm, unless Iraqi President Saddam Hussein complied fully with United Nations demands that it does so.

"If he is not willing to cooperate, time will not help," Blair told parliament as he sought to shore up support for possible military action ahead of its debate and vote.

"It takes no time at all for Saddam to cooperate. It just takes a fundamental change of heart and mind," Blair said.

Britain on Monday, February 24, submitted to the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution, that if passed, would open the door to a U.S.-led war on Iraq.

Britain has committed a total of 42,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen to any action, along with 120 tanks, a 17-ship naval task force and some 100 fighter jets and support aircraft.

Setback for Gulf Deployment

Only a fraction of the RAF jets due to move to the Gulf have yet reached their destination, while the rest are stuck in bases in Cyprus and Britain after Muslim countries refused to allow them over-fly, BBC's Online News Service quoted the British Defense Ministry as confirming.

The RAF deployment announced three weeks ago was supposed to be its largest for years made up of 100 aircraft, including 75 fast jet fighters or bombers.

The RAF has only managed to get six fast jets from Britain to the region, BBC News has learned.

Another 35 have been unable even to leave the U.K. because countries in the region opposed to war have refused over-flights, according to BBC defense correspondent Andrew Gilligan.