Blair to meet with Annan in New York
Tony Blair is expected to have talks with United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan when he is in New York tonight.
The Prime Minister is in the US to have talks with President Bush. They are expected to discuss the recent crisis in Iraq and the hand over of sovereignty in June as well as Israel’s recently announced plans to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
It is thought that Mr Blair will have dinner with Mr Annan and that he hopes the meeting will produce a draft of a resolution, which could give the UN the power to hold elections in Iraq within a year after the handover.
The Prime Minister will then take this to the White House for tomorrow’s summit with Mr Bush.
Mr Blair has said that Ariel Sharon’s pledge to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and some West Bank settlements is an “important step” towards peace in the Middle East.
