Blair in Middle East peace drive
Tony Blair has said that peace in the Middle East depends on a two state solution, and has urged the international community to help the Palestinian Authority become a “proper partner for peace”.
He was speaking from Israel, after meeting with the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. This was the latest leg of a whistle-stop tour of the region for Mr Blair, who yesterday addressed a press conference in Baghdad alongside Iraq’s interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi.
There is fresh hope of a breakthrough in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following the death of Yasser Arafat.
As well as meeting Mr Sharon, Tony Blair will also hold talks with Mahmoud Abbas, the man likely to replace Arafat as Palestinian leader.
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Mr Blair sought to underline the importance of supporting the Palestinian Authority in becoming a “proper partner for peace”, built on democratic institutions, a transparent economy, and a state devoid of terrorism.
On the disengagement plan put forward by his Israeli counterpart, the Prime Minister reminded the audience of journalists that he had welcomed it as something that had “the potential to be a very important moment”. He said he had been criticised for his comments at the time, but maintained that subsequent events in the region had shown that ‘this is indeed an important opportunity.’
The Prime Minister outlined an agreement reached with US President George Bush where the five stages to get the peace process back on track had been set out.
The first stage was to set out the overall vision for Israel and Palestine – the two state solution. The second stage was to ensure free and fair elections took place to elect a new Palestinian President – these were now underway.
The third step was to ensure that “a clear plan” for the future of Palestine was devised prior to the forth step – disengagement. The clear plan would ensure Palestine was a democratic state, built on a transparent economy, and devoid of terrorism. This would ensure that there were “proper partners for peace on either side”.
Mr Blair said that this was the purpose of the meeting he had proposed in London. He stressed that it was necessary to ensure that a “proper and viable plan” was in place before disengagement, which would in turn lead to the fifth step back into the roadmap.
The Prime Minster argued: “Everybody wants to see that overall vision of Israel confident of its own security and a viable Palestinian state put in place. But viability cannot just be about territory”. He reiterated the need to ensure the state became democratic with a transparent economy. He also underlined the need to ensure an end to terrorism.
Mr Blair expressed his belief that this aim could be achieved and envisaged that the meeting he proposed to hold in London could be an important step in the process.
However, he stressed that it “cannot be a substitute for conferences under the roadmap”. What could be ensured was that a plan was in place to ensure that the Palestinian Authority could be “a proper partner for peace” after disengagement.
