Blair wants shunned nations to help solve Iraq fiasco

[cal04]

Tony Blair has urged George Bush to make a dramatic U-turn by drawing Iran and Syria into efforts to bring stability to Iraq and forge a long-term peace in the wider Middle East.

The Prime Minister joined a clamour in Washington for the US President to drop his hardline approach towards what he regards as two rogue states. In his annual foreign affairs speech to the Lord Mayor's Banquet last night, Mr Blair offered Iran a "clear strategic choice" - a partnership if it stops supporting terrorism in Lebanon and Iraq and accepts its international obligations, or isolation if it did not. His advisers said the same choice applied to Syria.

Mr Blair's spokesman denied his call meant a softening of British policy, which has always been keener on dialogue with Tehran and Damascus than the Bush administration, and would not involve concessions to the two nations. But he added that this was a "moment when people are rethinking policy, and the time to articulate a way forward".

(snip)
MPs believe Mr Blair is seeking to exert leverage on President Bush over the Middle East at a time when he is weakened domestically and the influence of his neoconservative allies has waned. One Labour source described next month's Study Group report as Mr Bush's "get out of jail card". It is also likely to call for a phased withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.



http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article1981733.ece

[aquart]

1. Lotta laughing MiddleEasterners today.

[MichiganVote]

2. Like any of that will happen

[AlamoDemoc]

3. Every time Blair is down at the polls he brings about Israel-Palestine peace revival

He has become political-sound-bite-revisionist. (n/t)

[jody]

4. Iraq must solve its own problems. If that means a loose federation or separate nations, then

so be it.

No outside group has the moral authority to impose its view of government on any nation. To do so makes the target nation or groups virtual slaves to outsiders.

The Romans survived for many centuries by conquering an area and then letting the locals govern themselves as long as they did not pose a threat to Rome.

[MadMaddie]

5. Isn't * calling for the isolation of Iran? Blair is still trying to

save his legacy..