Blair briefs US Iraq inquiry (don't hold your breath)

Matthew Tempest and agencies
Tuesday November 14, 2006
Guardian Unlimited

Tony Blair has today shared his thoughts on future strategies for Iraq with a high-level American inquiry into the conflict.

The prime minister gave evidence in private via videolink from Downing Street to the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan US panel chaired by former secretary of state James Baker.

Mr Blair's evidence will remain private, but the timing of the submission comes at a critical juncture in US politics, with president Bush humbled by last week's midterm elections and a growing disenchantment with the war on both sides of the Atlantic.

The ISG group's report is widely seen as a face-saving way for the Republican administration to announce some form of troop withdrawal. Downing Street gave no indication of what Mr Blair would say to the ISG except that he would ensure the US panel was "fully briefed on UK ideas".

As if the US cared one iota what lame duck "liar-liar poodle-pants-on-fire" actually thinks...

But his message was expected to be similar to that in a major speech to the City last night, when he opened the prospect of a new relationship with Iran and Syria.

The two countries - which border Iraq - have previously been described as part of an "arc of extremism" by Mr Blair earlier this year - a quieter echo of Mr Bush's "axis of evil" speech of 2002.

But Mr Blair last night implored Tehran to assist the Middle East peace process, stop supporting terrorism in Iraq and Lebanon and abide by its international obligations on nuclear non-proliferation.

"In that case, a new partnership is possible," the prime minister said.

"Or alternatively they face the consequences of not doing so: isolation."

Where, Mr Blair, is the evidence of Iran's "supporting terrorism in Iraq"? Your own military commanders responsible for patrolling the southern border indicate there is almost no cross-border activity at all, except perhaps for infrequent and low-level weapons smuggling.

And of course you can hear the Tehran regime quaking in their sandals at the prospect of "isolation"...

Although the speech at the Guildhall was billed as "as the situation evolves, the policy evolves", Mr Blair insisted there was no shift in policy towards the two countries.

He said his top priority was the Israel-Palestine conflict - which he described as "the core".

More lies from Mr Disingenuous^TM: Bliar has never been interested in any solution for Israel/Palestine, instead his reckless siding with El Chimperor has caused a debacle of unprecedented scale in the ME, making the question of the occupied territories a largely forgotten cause.

Mr Blair called for a "whole Middle East strategy" which tackled forces outside Iraq seeking to create difficulties inside the country.

The shadow foreign secretary, William Hague, doubted last night whether Mr Blair could influence US policy, as his domestic power was "evaporating and his longevity in office is limited".

"It's quite hard for a prime minister in that situation to breathe new life into a peace process in the Middle East or to influence the American administration," he said.

The "difficulties" in Iraq are now entirely of our own making, blaming others isn't going to help us. "Lame" and "duck" spring to mind once again...