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Cook calls resignation one of his toughest decisions
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Though his strong convictions against waging war with Iraq led him to resign as leader of the House of Commons, Robin Cook said Tuesday "it was one of the toughest decisions I've made in my life." In an interview on CNN's "Larry King Live," Cook said resigning competed with his deep, longtime loyalties with the Labor Party and his colleagues in the Cabinet, and with British Prime Minister Tony Blair himself. "I think he's been the most successful Labor leader in my lifetime," Cook told CNN. "I want [him] to go on being a leader. I want him to go on being successful. And he will have my support, but I couldn't agree with him on this point or principle." Cook resigned the night before Tuesday's 10-hour debate and vote in the House of Commons on whether to back Blair for war with Iraq. In a vote of 412-149, the Parliament supported British military participation in a possible conflict. Two other government officials also resigned: Lord Philip Hunt, a junior health minister in the House of Lords -- the upper chamber -- and Home Office Minister John Denham. A former British foreign secretary, Cook told a packed Parliament Monday night he could not support a war without international agreement or domestic support. "Two things bother me," Cook told CNN. "First of all, war should be a last resort. We shouldn't rush into it. And I find myself asking, you know, would it really have been so difficult to have given the inspectors a bit longer to see if they could have made the progress that [chief U.N. weapons inspector] Hans Blix talked about?" Though Blix said the inspectors could do their work in months, Cook said even a few weeks would have been enough for him. Blair faced a difficult task trying to win the backing of his Labor Party over his decision to support the use of force without U.N. support. His government asked the House of Commons to endorse its decision to use "all means necessary" to strip Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of any weapons of mass destruction. Britain has about 40,000 troops in the Persian Gulf, poised to take part in a U.S.-led war against Iraq. President Bush delivered an ultimatum to Saddam on Monday night, demanding he go into exile within 48 hours or face military action. In resigning, Cook rejected claims that Saddam poses a threat to British people and warned Britain would be internationally isolated if it joined a U.S.-led assault. He said the determination of U.S. President George W. Bush to oust the Iraqi leader had shattered the unity of NATO, the European Union, the U.N. Security Council and the international coalition against terrorism. "We let that disintegrate," Cook told King. "I think actually it might have been perhaps wiser to have shown a bit more skill in handling Iraq, which could have left us that bit stronger in handling international terrorism, which is the real threat to both our countries." The real damage in the British government will be felt after the potential war ends, Cook said; he said he had discussed with Blair repairing "the wounds and the divisions" in their party. Blair, said Cook, understood his convictions and realized he could not change his mind on the matter. "We had a very friendly conversation," Cook said. "And we parted with a lot of mutual appreciation for what we've done together and our commitment that we weren't going to let this become acrimonious." And Cook does not intend to let acrimony build between the United States and Britain as a result of dissent he and other Britons may share, Cook said. "I'm very keen to make sure that we do develop the very close relationship that America and Britain have always had," Cook said. "There's no doubt here in Britain that we have a great friendship, great affection, and very common interests with the American people. And we want to make sure that those fundamentals of our relationship remain strong."
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