Last update - 00:00 02/11/2006
Blair likely to visit Middle East in next two months
By Assaf Uni, Haaretz Correspondent and AP
British Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to visit the Middle East sometime in the next two months, Blair's office said Wednesday.
The office told Haaretz that the prime minister would like to visit the region before the end of this year.
During his last visit to the region, less than two months ago, Blair said he wanted to make resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a focus of his remaining months in office. He is expected to step down in July.
"The importance he places on getting momentum going in the right direction in the Middle East is still there," said his official spokesman.
The news of Blair's impending visit comes on the heels of Britain's first official talks with Syria since the start of the Iraq war in 2003.
On Monday, Blair sent his top foreign policy adviser, Nigel Sheinwald, on an unannounced visit to Damascus for talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad and other senior ministers. Officials said that the talks have concluded.
Blair's office rejected suggestions that the overture to Syria was part of a coordinated effort by the United States and Britain aimed at pressing Iraq's neighbors to assist with security duties, allowing coalition troops to withdraw.
"That is not part of the thinking," said Blair's official spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.
"We are very serious about revitalizing the Middle East peace process, therefore it is the right thing to do to talk to all those who in some way have an influence. It is up to others to decide what role they play," he said.
Syria is a major player in both the Palestinian conflict and in Lebanon, since it hosts the leaders of several Palestinian terror groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and supports Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"Syria had always faced a choice: It can play a constructive role in international affairs or it can continue to support terrorism," the spokesman continued. "The key question is, what choice does it make?"
Sheinwald's visit was a departure from the unofficial boycott of Syria that both the European Union and the U.S. have maintained since the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February, 2005. A UN investigation found that senior Syrian officials were probably involved in the assassination.
The U.S., British and Iraqi governments have also accused Syria of supporting the insurgency in Iraq.
However, Blair's office insisted that the visit represented no change of policy on Britain's part, and the U.S. confirmed Wednesday that it was informed about the visit in advance.