**前英首相就伊拉克战争若干“错误”道歉**
前英国首相布莱尔就美国领导的攻打伊拉克行动期间他所称的“错误”表示道歉。
布莱尔在接受美国有线电视新闻网的采访中说,军事干预引发了当前中东地区的冲突,包括伊斯兰国组织在伊拉克和叙利亚的崛起。他说:“当然,不能说我们这些2003年罢黜萨达姆侯赛因的人对2015年的局势毫无责任。”
布莱尔说,引发攻打伊拉克的大规模杀伤性武器情报有误,战争计划也有错误,而且在罢黜萨达姆政权后可能出现的局势也有错误理解。但是他没有就伊拉克战争全面道歉。他说,不可能对罢黜萨达姆致歉,即使在2015年的当今回顾,推翻萨达姆也比让他继续执政要好。
布莱尔当年派4万5千英国军队参加联军,规模仅次于美国。美国出兵15万人,澳大利亚、西班牙和波兰分别出兵数千人。
179名英国军人在伊拉克战争中丧生。
Britain's Blair Apologizes for "Mistakes" in 2003 Iraq Invasion
Former British Prime MInister Tony Blair has apologized for what he calls "mistakes" made during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
In an interview with CNN, Blair also cites that military intervention as a trigger for current conflicts in the region, including the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
"Of course you can't say those of us who removed Saddam in 2003 bear no responsibility for the situation in 2015,'' he says.
While critical of the flawed information on weapons of mass destruction that led to the invasion, as well as "for some of the mistakes in planning and, certainly, our mistake in our understanding of what would happen once you removed the regime" of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Blair did not fully apologize for the war.
"I find it hard to apologize for removing Saddam. I think, even from today in 2015, it is better that he's not there than that he is there," Blair said.
Britain committed the second largest number of troops to the invasion - 45,000. They joined nearly 150,000 American soldiers and several thousand more from Australia, Spain and Poland.
Of the British forces, 179 were killed during the conflict.
**阿萨德:消灭恐怖分子后可政治解决叙利亚问题**
叙利亚总统阿萨德再次强调,他的主要目标是清肃叙利亚的恐怖分子威胁。他星期天说,这样将能导致叙利亚人民谋求的以政治方案化解人们忍受了四年半的危机。
阿萨德会见了一些俄罗斯议员和其他官员。叙利亚官方通讯社说,阿萨德总统强调,肃清地面上的恐怖分子将保护叙利亚的主权和领土完整。
俄罗斯议员尤什钦科说,阿萨德说,如果叙利亚人民有这样的意愿,他愿意参加新的总统选举,并举行议会选举。
阿萨德去年连任总统,开始第四个为期7年的任期。投票只在政府控制区进行,反对派抵制了选举。阿萨德赢得89%的选票。
Assad: Eliminating Terrorists Would Lead to Political Solution in Syria
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reiterated his focus on eliminating the threat of terrorists in his country, saying Sunday that would lead to the political solution that Syrians seek to the crisis they have endured for more than four and a half years.
Assad met with a group of Russian lawmakers and other officials in Damascus, and the state-run SANA news agency said the president stressed that taking out terrorist groups would preserve Syria's sovereignty and its territorial integrity.
One member of the Russian delegation, lawmaker Alexander Yushchenko, relayed that Assad said he was prepared to take part in a new presidential election, as well as holding a vote for parliament, if that is what the Syrian people want.
Assad is serving his third term as president after he was elected for another seven years last year. That vote was held only in areas controlled by the government and was boycotted by the opposition. Assad won 89 percent of the vote.