Europe must work more closely in fight against terrorists: Blair

Europe needs to work more effectively to protect and enhance the lives of its people, Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.

In a statement on last week's European Council meeting in Brussels, the Prime Minister set out the new Europe-wide steps to tackle terrorism – which include closer intelligence-sharing, transport security and stronger border controls.

Mr Blair said that while co-operation in the fight against terrorism was stepped up after 11 September 2001, the heads of government recognised that more could be done. Last week's meeting set deadlines for implementing these new measures.

The Prime Minister also updated MPs on his visit to Libya on 25 March. He said that while Libya's actions in the past had caused grief and pain to many individuals and families, its abandonment of illegal weapons programmes was to be welcomed.

"I raised Lockerbie and WPC Fletcher with Colonel Gaddafi, stressing the importance of the forthcoming visit to Libya by the Metropolitan Police team investigating WPC Fletcher's murder. We shall stay in close touch with the families in both cases," said Mr Blair.

"But if change in Libya is real, we should support it. It is the beginning of a process, and we should take it step-by-step. But I believe that a Libya free of WMD and with no links to terrorism is overwhelmingly in our interest and it is right to pursue this dialogue, and we will."

On the EU's Constitutional Treaty, Mr Blair said that the UK will seek to negotiate a conclusion under the Irish Presidency. He said that as the EU expands, the decision-making process needs to change to avoid an "inability to make progress in vital areas of co-operation".

"Britain will ensure that we keep control over our tax and social security systems, over the future of the UK abatement, over our own criminal justice system and over defence and foreign policy, as we have said we would.

"Provided we do so, this Treaty is right for Europe and right for Britain because, in today's world, particularly after the events of recent months, Europe needs to work more effectively to protect and enhance the lives of our people," he said.

(gmcg)