Prime Minister Tony Blair wants to see genuine changes following the decisions made at the Earth Summit in South Africa.

At a press conference in Sedgefield he said that decisions at the summit in Johannesburg must be translated into "genuine change on the ground".

Mr Blair has returned from the summit, which reached a worldwide deal to fight poverty and save the planet from environmental disaster.

He also said Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime represents a "real and unique threat" to his region and the rest of the world.

Mr Blair said Saddam was continuing his efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction in defiance of United Nations resolutions.

"I do believe that the threat posed by the current Iraqi regime is real, I believe that it is in the UK's national interest that this is addressed, just as dealing with the terrorists after September 11 was in our national interest even though the actual terrorist act took place thousands of miles away on the streets of New York, not in London."

Mr Blair added: "This isn't just an issue for the US, it is an issue for Britain, it is an issue for the wider world. America shouldn't have to face this issue alone, we should face it together."