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London: A day after the House of Commons Committee issued a damning report over his justification for going to war in Iraq, British Prime Minister Tony Blair on July 8 said he stood "totally" by the case he made for removing Saddam Hussein from power.

"I stand by that case totally. I am quite sure we did the right thing in removing Saddam Hussein," Blair told Parliament's Liaison Committee, made up of the Chairmen of all the House of Commons watchdog select committees.

The Liaison Committee was on July 8 questioning Blair about the case he made for the Iraq war, as well as domestic issues.

Asked if he regretted anything done in the lead-up to the war, Blair pointed to the way an academic thesis had been used without attribution in February's "dodgy dossier".

"I am quite sure we did the right thing, because not merely was it a threat to the region and the wider world, but it was an appalling regime which the world is well rid of…

"I refute any suggestion that we misled Parliament and the people totally."

Despite the concerns raised about the September dossier, Blair said he did not concede at all that the intelligence at the time was wrong.

"But I should tell you that I have absolutely no doubt at all that we will find evidence of weapons of mass destruction programmes."

The House of Commons Committee report on July 7 said Blair had inadvertently misrepresented the "dodgy dossier" in Parliament by suggesting it was "further intelligence".

PTI