Blair: I will do all I can for Middle East peace
Tony Blair said he would throw his full weight behind plans for a two-state solution to the Israeli Palestinian problem.
The prime minister today met with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, on the fourth day of his tour of the region.
“It is important for us, but I think for the whole of the international community, to work with people who want a genuine two-state solution. A state of Israel and a state of Palestine living side by side in peace,” Mr Blair said.
Mr Blair’s visit comes just two days after Mr Abbas of the Fatah party called for fresh elections in Palestine to try and restart unity talks in the country.
And the British prime minister praised this decision.
“Your speech a couple of days ago was I think a landmark speech . . . the next few weeks, are going to be a critical time,” he told Mr Abbas.
“It’s a critical time for all of us who want to see progress and we want to see progress because people are indeed suffering, your people the Palestinian people are suffering, the security of the region is affected, and you demonstrated by the speech that you gave, that you do not want anything to stand in the way of helping the Palestinian people to make progress.”
And Mr Blair asserted that nothing should be allowed to stand in the way of the move towards peace.
“Nobody should have a veto on progress,” he asserted.
“Nobody should be able to say to you or the Palestinian people, or to the international community, that we are going to stop progress being made towards that two-state vision which is the only solution that will work in order to bring peace between the people of Israel, the people of Palestine and the wider region.”
Mr Blair said he hoped the international community would be in a position in the next few weeks to put together an initiative which would allow it to offer support for reconstruction and development and to alleviate “the suffering and the plight of the Palestinian” as well as a political framework to move towards a two state solution.
“I would like to make one thing very, very clear,” Mr Blair said.
“If the international community really means what it says about supporting people who share the vision of the two-state solution, who are moderate, who are prepared to shoulder their responsibilities, then now is the time for the international community to respond to the vision that you have set out.
“And I intend to do everything I can over the next period of time but in particular because I believe this is so critical and urgent over the coming weeks to make sure we can deliver that support both in terms of helping people who are suffering but also in terms of the political framework that can deliver a just and lasting peace.
