I think this apology is just Blair's way of taking the heat off the things that he SHOULD be apologising for, like his government policies that have got the UK into an unecessary war and have left the country in a worse state than when he started. He should be apologising for misleading the electorate when he promised a 'no sleaze' government as well.

On the question of Africa I believe that it was in about the 7th/8th century that the Muslims started sweeping down from the north with a policy of 'you're Muslim or you're dead'. Looking at what is going on today in Darfur that still seems to be the policy in some parts. It appears that a lot of the slave traders were Arabs who took advantage of the fact that there has always been a market for human traffic, not just in the West.

Eurpopeans may have to take some blame for the imperialist policies prevalent during the past 600 years but, looking at the way that African behaves toward African I really do not see that the West can be held totally responsible for all the ills of that continent.