MANHATTAN, Jan 23: US President George Bush said on Monday that he had given British Prime Minister Tony Blair the option of pulling out of the US-led alliance on the eve of the Iraq invasion.

Amid opposition to military action and a fierce debate about a second UN Security Council resolution on Iraq, Mr Blair ‘was very worried about his government’, Mr Bush said. “So was I.”

“I said, ‘I don’t want your government to fall. And if you’re worried about (that), just go ahead and pull out of the coalition so you can save your government,’” said the president.

“He (Blair) said, ‘I have made my commitment on behalf of the great country of Britain, and I’m not changing my mind,’” Mr Bush said during a wide-ranging question and answer session after a speech on terrorism.

“Basically what he told me, he said, ‘George,’ he said, ‘politics — you know, I’m not interested in politics. What I’m interested in is doing the right thing,’” said Mr Bush. “That’s why I admire Tony Blair. He’ll do the right thing.”

The president’s comments came as he flatly rejected ‘demeaning’ charges that Mr Blair does his bidding and said that Mr Blair was ‘an independent thinker’ with whom he had disagreed sharply, citing US opposition to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change or the International Criminal Court.

“I’m sorry that his relationship with me causes him political problems at home. You know, sometimes I can be (a) little allergic for people overseas, if you know what I mean,” Mr Bush said, to laughter from the friendly crowd.

“I’m very aware of the political difficulties he’s faced,” he added. “When you make hard decision, like Tony has made, and frankly, I’ve made, it creates angst.” —AFP