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Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair (AP)
Last update - 05:29 12/01/2008
Blair: Latest Mideast push for peace might be 'last chance'
By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Tags: Israel, Palestinians 

Sounding a note of "cautious optimism" following U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to the region, Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair told Sky News on Friday that the latest push for a final status agreement may be a "last chance" unless both Israel and the Palestinians take advantage of the renewed momentum.

"You've got to be careful of saying this is the last chance for it," the former British prime minister told the network. "But it's hard for me to see how you're going to get a peace agreement done if the present initiative fails because if it fails things will move backwards again."

Blair warned that the consequences of failure by both sides to hammer out a deal would be devastating.
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"If we lose the momentum that's been built up after the Annapolis conference and then the Paris conference where we got big international support for the Palestinians, if all of that is then squandered and drains away then I think you will find a very difficult situation indeed, so there is no alternative but to push forward and to do so with determination," Blair told Sky News.

"So far I remain cautiously optimistic that something can be done and I remain absolutely of the view that it has to be done," Blair said.

Earlier Friday, Blair said he believed a deal could be clinched between the Israelis and the Palestinians before Bush leaves office in January 2009, but emphasized that any agreement reached would have to guarantee Israel's security.

His comments came after Bush, in his first visit to Israel and the West Bank in seven years as president, on Thursday pushed the two sides for a treaty to be signed within a year to create a Palestinian state.

"Sure, it is absolutely possible to have a peace deal by the end of the year if people want to make it happen," the former British prime minister told British reporters after meeting Bush on the American leader's visit to Jerusalem.

But, injecting a note of caution, he said to achieve peace, those involved had to be prepared "to have the courage to take the difficult decisions to make the difficult compromises."

Blair, peace envoy to the Middle East quartet, said: "Given the determination there is to succeed and given the desire on the part of the American leadership, the Israeli leadership, the Palestinian leadership to see it happen, I think people could be surprised this year."

"People in Israel - they don't want to pay the price of the world's desire to have a peace deal, and I totally understand that and I am a strong supporter of the state of Israel, and this should only happen under terms which guarantee Israel's security.

"But if we can achieve those terms and give the Palestinian people a state, then I think there is nothing more important in the battle against... extremism and terrorism that is fairly deep-rooted in many parts of the world today."

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      1.   Israel So Afraid, but Palestinians Actually Dying 11:26  |  Scott Katz 11/01/08
      2.   Note to Blair: 11:43  |  Natallie Durson 11/01/08
      3.   ONE SIDED 12:01  |  Mohamed Burhan 11/01/08
      4.   Nazillie Durson 12:47  |  Nik Miller 11/01/08
      5.   Did any country make peace with so many conditions? 13:47  |  Jeremy Martin 11/01/08
      6.   Nice words BUT, the Pals will never seek true peace 13:49  |  Petra 11/01/08
      7.   Same Deal as Northern Ireland 13:53  |  Bob Schlesinger 11/01/08
      8.   KILL RATE: 1 ISRAELI to 40 NON-JEWS 14:35  |  Farum 11/01/08
      9.   Of course, Israel is so pathetically weak and defenceless... 14:51  |  Chaanalau, Tova 11/01/08
      10.   The so-called world will 15:00  |  Frank 11/01/08
      11.   israelis afraid but palestinians dying 15:11  |  Ivan Israel 11/01/08
      12.   SO THE WAR ON TERROR UST BEGIN NOW, RIGHT? SO BOMB THEM!!! 15:22  |  John the Gentile 11/01/08
      13.   Mohamed B,if pals felt insecure,they wouldn`t be streaming to hos 15:29  |  Absolute Sweden 11/01/08
      14.   Terms of peace deal must ensure End to Murderous Arab Occupation 15:47  |  Joseph E . 11/01/08
      15.   # 1 Katz in Miami 15:52  |  Adolfo 11/01/08
      16.   I`m afraid he is... 15:52  |  Edith 11/01/08
      17.   # 3 Yes Mohammed... 15:54  |  Edith 11/01/08
      18.   CONGRATULTION TO TONY FOR GETTING LUCRATIVE JOB AT JEWISH COMPANY 15:54  |  JACKAL 11/01/08
      19.   #1, what planet are you on? 16:01  |  eddie 11/01/08
      20.   Mohamed Burhan...not one sided 16:07  |  Lynn 11/01/08
      21.   # 2 Durson....keep the wall up. 16:11  |  Lynn 11/01/08
      22.   what about the security of the pal`s who are being murdered 16:28  |  POP 11/01/08
      23.   Terms of peace deal must ensure Palestine`s security 16:48  |  Assad-u-LLAH 11/01/08
      24.   Terms of peace 17:03  |  Cyasher 11/01/08
      25.   # 2 Durson....keep the wall up. 17:10  |  Lynn 11/01/08
      26.   Katz 17:19  |  Iz Ray Leigh 11/01/08
      27.   Only Peace Will Bring Security 17:26  |  Moshe 11/01/08
      28.   #1, the point is to REMAIN secure 17:29  |  McQueen 11/01/08
      29.   A bigoted assessment by blair. 17:45  |  POP 11/01/08
      30.   And Israel has the gates of her enemies. 17:45  |  Petra 11/01/08
      31.   # 1 You`re dumber than dumb 17:50  |  Petra 11/01/08
      32.   Blair`s manipulations 17:59  |  Brod 11/01/08
      33.   Live in Sedrot 18:27  |  Mike 11/01/08
      34.   #6 Chaanalau Tova 19:25  |  Franco 11/01/08
      35.   End the Arab Occupation of Lands Outside of Arabia 22:24  |  Platon 11/01/08
      36.   Phony Blair,there has been a Palestinian state since the PLO 22:26  |  lakshmi 11/01/08
      37.   Ok. So let`s see Abbas round up the bad guys. Waiting. . . 22:27  |  Jason 11/01/08
      38.   Cancel Palestine, Create Peace, 2 states, not 3. 22:42  |  David 11/01/08
      39.   Guarantee Israel`s security: basic demand 22:46  |  Iz Ray Leigh 11/01/08
      40.   Ok, #20 - show me Palestine on a map 22:58  |  Steve 11/01/08
      41.   Kill rate / Force rate 23:17  |  Daniel 11/01/08
      42.   For once, Natallie, I agree with you 23:21  |  Avi 11/01/08
      43.   Israel security 23:27  |  KT 11/01/08
      44.   More on Israel security 23:29  |  KT 11/01/08
      45.   For Moshe #24 23:35  |  Avi 11/01/08
      46.   Blind Blair 23:39  |  John Fellows 11/01/08
      47.   Civility, Stupid! 23:48  |  de 11/01/08
      48.   33. Jason all the bag guys are in the stolen land 00:01  |  i ain`t lying 12/01/08
      49.   Thats right Lakshmi (lakach shi`mi - took my name)) 00:02  |  Avi 12/01/08
      50.   The ball is in Abas` court 00:02  |  Denise Thompson 12/01/08
      51.   30. Mike? live in gaza 00:04  |  muslim 12/01/08
      52.   Censored 00:32  |  KT 12/01/08
      53.   For Muslim #47 00:33  |  Avi 12/01/08
      54.   Israel so afraid, but Palestinians actually dying? 00:36  |  Frozen 12/01/08
      55.   To Denise Thomp/son of a gun #47 01:06  |  H.E 12/01/08
      56.   # 5 Jeremy...yes, there have been two countries 01:27  |  Lynn 12/01/08
      57.   LAST CHANCES FOR 2 STATE? BIG DEAL. 02:27  |  Dirk 12/01/08
      58.   There will never be ANOTHER PALESTINIAN STATE 04:00  |  Dagma 12/01/08
      59.   What momentum? 04:25  |  Jason_M 12/01/08
      60.   i ain`t lying 04:28  |  Jason 12/01/08
      61.   To Lynn # 56 - Are you comparing Japan and Germany with the 04:29  |  Dolly 12/01/08
      62.   clickfool & durson 06:54  |  leo 12/01/08
      63.   CAN THERE BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST? 07:52  |  MORDECAI BEN NATAN 12/01/08
      64.   CAN THERE BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST? 07:52  |  MORDECAI BEN NATAN 12/01/08
      65.   Bush and Blair talking about peace. 08:04  |  BARUCH AHSEM 12/01/08
      66.   #46 Mr. Fellows 09:26  |  Watcher of truth 12/01/08
      67.   To MORDECAI BEN NATAN # 63 - The ABSOLUTE TRUTH 10:30  |  Dolly 12/01/08
      68.   Israel most important factor in Muslim extremism 10:30  |  Marky 12/01/08
      69.   Cautiously Optimistic something can be done .? 10:55  |  Noam 12/01/08
      70.   A DESPERATE STATEMENT TO SECURE HIS OWN LEGACY 12:11  |  indrajaya 12/01/08
      71.   For Chaanalau, Tova # 9 14:51  |  Clickfool