Iraq Invasion Prevented Violence Worse Than Syria - Blair

Many around the world would like to see Blair and US president George Bushcharged with war crimes for what opponents call an illegal war which was launched on March 19, 2003. But Blair said the fall of Saddam Hussein justified the unpopular war. Blair draws comparisons with the bitter and bloody two year conflict in Syria to justify his decision to go ahead with a military campaign that would unseat Saddam."If you'd left Saddam in charge of Iraq you'd have had carnage on an even worst scale than Syria and no end in sight. So you know, this was the most difficult decision I ever took and the most balanced decision, but I still, personally I still believe we were better to remove him than leave him," Blair said.

Figures posted on the 'Iraq Body Count' website claim at least 111,687 Iraqi civilians have been killed from violence since the war.

The United Nations said last month the death toll in Syria was likely approaching 70,000 with March 15 marching the two year anniversary of the start of the uprising.

A recent poll by YouGov shows that 53 percent of Britons believe the Iraq war should never have gone ahead. A majority also believe the invasion has increased the risk of a terrorist attack on the country. Half also said they believe Blair deliberately lied about the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction.

Ten years after the invasion Blair is still coming under attack for his handling of the war and his unwavering support for US President George Bush and intervention.

He acknowledges it is still a controversial decision, but believes as more years pass people will stop focusing on the legality of the war and instead focus on the outcome.

"This decision will remain very difficult and it will remain very controversial, but I think when people look back and I think this is more and more true with every year that passes, and you ask the question...you can go back over all the issues to do with weapons of mass destruction and so on...but if you ask the basic question: Is the world better off without Saddam than with him? Then I think the answer is pretty clear and that in the end is the judgement you have got to make," he said.

Blair said if he were still prime minister he would consider arming Syrian rebels. He expressed dismay that western powers had not managed to make any breakthroughs in Syria. He said the experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan had made government's fearful of intervention.

"And the real question for us in the west today is 'Are we prepared to engage with this fight or not?' I accept that after the depth and the hardship of the struggle inAfghanistan and Iraq that the mood in the west at the moment is 'stay out of it' But what I am saying to you is, I'm afraid I think in the end we will get drawn into these issues."

A lengthy inquiry into why Britain entered the Iraq war in 2009 has yet to be published. The Chilcot Inquiry examined confidential correspondence between Blair and Bush. The findings will be released in a few months time.

When Blair appeared before the inquiry protesters loudly demanded he be tried for war crimes. Protesters follow Blair whenever he makes a public appearance in the UK, something that is rare these days.

Stop The War Coalition is among those calling for citizen's arrests of Blair.

"People feel the problem is that if Tony Blair gets away with having brought Britain into an illegal war, a disastrous war, a catastrophic war, without there being any comeback on him, then that opens the door for future prime ministers and future politicians to feel as if they can act completely out of the control of the population,"Chris Nineham, from Stop The War Coalition said.

"It is an outrage that this man, who took us into what the majority of the population believe was an illegal war, behind the backs of parliament, behind the backs of the population, this man is commanding these huge salaries on a global level, but also that he is still apparently involved in the peace process in the Middle East. I mean, it is a complete joke that he should be regarded as some sort of statesman, as some sort of peace envoy," he said.

Nineham quoted the example of Chile's General Pinochet as reason to hope that one day Blair too might be in the dock.

An organisation, Arrestblair.org, set up by author and journalist George Monbiot, offers financial rewards to anyone who attempts a citizens arrest of Blair. So far four payments have been made.