Blair states the obvious

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Mr Sawford asked: ``Do you have a message for the people on that rally, bearing in mind that many of them are your friends, not your enemies." Mr Blair replied: "First of all that we should be glad that we live in a country, this country, not the case in Iraq, where people can come together and demonstrate their position on political issues of the day." Speaking about possible war he added: "The alternative is to carry on with a sanctions regime which, because of the way Saddam implements it, actually has resulted in thousands of people dying needlessly in Iraq every year. "So I hope when people go on that march that they at least recognise that those of us that take a different view hold our views with as much conviction and sincerity as they hold theirs."