Blair says Iraq a "disaster"

Tony Blair, the British prime minister, has admitted in an interview with Al Jazeera English that events in Iraq since the US-led invasion have been a "disaster".

Speaking on the Frost Over the World programme, Frost suggested that since the 2003 invasion of Iraq events there had been "pretty much of a disaster".

But he insisted it was right to remove Saddam Hussein, the country's former leader, from power and he blamed al-Qaeda, Sunni fighters and Iran-backed forces for the ongoing violence.

Responding to a suggestion from Sir David Frost that the conflict had been a disaster from the start, Blair replied "it has", before blaming a combination of factors for the crisis.

Blair stressed the importance of progress in the Middle East peace process, and also in winning the US-led "war on terror".

As the story began to break Blairs office quickly moved to downplay the impact of his admission.

A spokeswoman for the prime minister Saturday said Blair was not admitting failure in Iraq -- he was merely acknowleging Frost's question before answering, which he frequently does during interviews.

"To portray it as some kind of admission is completely disingenuous," the spokeswoman said.