Blair to urge Middle East states to rein in Iran By Katherine Baldwin Tue Dec 19, 8:26 PM ET DUBAI (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair will call on Wednesday for Middle East states to rein in what he calls the threat from Iran and to help advance peacemaking between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking in the United Arab Emirates, he will underline what has been the theme of his Middle East tour: moderate leaders must be empowered against extremists. "We must recognize the strategic threat the government of Iran poses, not its people, not possibly all of its ruling elements, but those presently in charge of its policy," he will say, according to extracts of his speech released by his office. Iran seeks "to pin us back in Lebanon, in Iraq and in Palestine," he will tell business leaders in Dubai. "Our response should be to expose what they are doing, build the alliances to prevent it and pin them back across the whole of the region." He says to do this "we need the open and clear backing of the countries in this region that know better than me what is happening and why." Blair's spokesman dismissed suggestions his comments on Iran were designed to pit the region's Sunni Muslims against Shi'ite Iran, saying the prime minister worked with all faiths. The prime minister -- making a push for peace in the Middle East before he leaves office next year -- will say the struggle between "moderates and extremists" will impact the security of the wider world. "It is not too late but it is urgent," he will say. Blair visited Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories before arriving in the United Arab Emirates. Aides say Blair made progress on the trip in exploring ways to end a deadlock between Palestinians and Israelis. IRAN, SYRIA He will pursue talks with world leaders in early 2007, particularly on a package of aid for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas has called for elections after failing to form a unity administration with the Hamas-led government, which is being boycotted by the West. He will list three priorities: to give Abbas's office the capacity to improve Palestinians' lives; to engineer an early meeting between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and to relaunch the political process for a two-state solution. "We must support and empower moderate and modernizing governments and people everywhere in this region," Blair will say. "We must mobilize our alliance of moderation in this region and outside it and defeat the extremists" whose ideas are based on a "warped" interpretation of Islam, he will add. Late on Tuesday, Blair told the Dubai-based Al Arabiya television that Syria should help to restore stability in Lebanon, Iraq and Palestinian Territories, but did not rule out peace in the region without its support. "I agree that peace would be easier in the Middle East with Syria, but we cannot allow Syria to decide for the region," he said. "We will engage with Syria only if they agree on conditions for this partnership," he added but did not elaborate. His remarks were aired with Arabic translation.
I think his advisors made a slight error. It should be a warning to Isreal. Close, though, they both start with an "I". Advisors just probably got mixed up, busy watching the cricket.....
By now I think it's pretty obvious Iran doesn't give a shit what Blair or Bush think. To any sane observer, it's also obvious that Iran has a right to have Nuclear weapons since all its friends and enemies in the region have them. Russia to the North has Nukes. Israel to the west has Nukes. Saudi Arabia ( their sunni enemy) has Nukes purchased from Pakistan. Pakistan (another sunni nation) has nukes to the east. Iran is threatened on its immediate eastern and western borders by the occupation and instability in occupied Iraq and Afghanistan. And on top of this security threat to it's sovereign stability, Iran is sitting on the worlds largest untapped oil reserves in the Caspian sea. And it has the cheapest land route from the Caspian to the Persian Gulf and onto the biggest energy consumers of the 21st century. Asia. Therefore to conclude, Iran has as much right to develop nukes as a deterrent as Israel or any other nation for that matter.
He may do all of this, if he is'nt assasinated first. Prime target, it would be truly astonishing if nobody tried to take him out on this whirlwind middle east stopover. Why blair, not bush? These people beleive in the zionist conspiracy, which starts in britain, europe, not the us at all. Palestine is a f#king mess, and if dubya himself pointed out syria was the architect here, then....... I beleive dubya. I beleive, he isnt smart enough to not make truthful statements occasionally, and that what these guys say behind the microphone carries 100 times the weight of what they say standing in front of it. Just an opinion.
Martin Rowson of the Guardian on Blair and the dove of peace in the middle east. http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/martinrowson/0,,1974554,00.html
The poodle, and the dove? Consider the following, the coalition of the strangely described, "willing". G'dubya bush, earmarked from an early age to do something.....president was a lucky coincidence of interest. Tony blair...earmarked as political hitter, for more than a few years before his common aspirations saw results. He's awfully good at being a politician, btw. And John Howard. A career politician, for well over 30 years. A man completely lacking in charisma, lacking in .....in everything, but somebody voted for him over this time, and blow me down with a feather, he is now the "most succesful" prime minister ever, he was referred to by...........was it the us ambassador Armitage, as a "very good politician". Speaks volumes.