Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., June 06, 2008 Sivan 3, 5768 | | Israel Time: 22:09 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Special Mideast envoy Tony Blair (AP) Last update - 20:23 05/06/2008 Blair: Use lessons of Northern Ireland to solve Mideast conflict By DPA Tags: Gaza, Tony Blair, U.K.  Former British prime minister Tony Blair drew on Thursday a parallel with efforts to bring peace to Northern Ireland, in which he played an active role. In a television interview, he said: "If we were able to resolve it the way we did Northern Ireland it would make probably the biggest difference to peace in the Middle East." D Advertisement ecades of conflict in Northern Ireland were ended, through international mediation, by the disarmament of paramilitary groups and the formation of a power-sharing government between Catholics and Protestants in the province. Blair also admitted Thursday that his view of the Middle East conflict had been transformed since he took on the job of special envoy for the region almost a year ago. Blair was appointed special envoy of the so-called Middle East Quartet of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia the day he stepped down as prime minister on June 27 last year. Giving evidence on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to the international development committee of the British parliament, he said he now recognized the importance of the "situation on the ground" for conflict solution. "We have to alter the current state of events fundamentally," Blair told the committee. "What we need to do is to get a period of calm, to get a ceasefire in Gaza, progressively to start reopening the crossings, start to get proper humanitarian help through and then build our way back out of this to a situation where the people of Gaza can be helped and secondly, and very importantly, the situation in Gaza does not disrupt other possibilities of progress," said Blair. His view of the situation had been transformed as he recognized the vital importance of the situation on the ground to enable constructive political dialogue, Blair said. Related articles: Tony Blair: Israel agrees to ease West Bank restrictions Blair taps U.S. State Department official to oversee Jerusalem office Blair urges foreign investment in Palestinian economy Bookmark to del.icio.us   Terrorist donuts U.S. Arabs irate over criticism of celebrity cook's kaffiyeh. All the way to hell Rosner's blog: It's Obama's good intentions that pro-Israel activists fear.   1.   Tony Blair and his lessons 18:00  |  herb glatter 05/06/08   2.   Blair`s fallacious idea 18:06  |  Brod 05/06/08   3.   Newsflash for Tony 18:21  |  Ofer from Ofer 05/06/08   4.   One State Solution 19:16  |  Mary 05/06/08   5.   Blair is quite right... 19:17  |  Silvienne 05/06/08   6.   There`s a difference... 19:20  |  Henry 05/06/08   7.   Blair Is A Joke - A Do-Nothing Figurehead 19:55  |  chet 05/06/08   8.   Blair is not right 20:06  |  Roz G 05/06/08   9.   #2 Comparisons, as far as they go 20:09  |  Outsider 05/06/08   10.   Blair has seen the light---Apartheid 20:48  |  Ray 05/06/08   11.   lessons from Ireland 20:52  |  gearoid 05/06/08   12.   Peace Wall 20:53  |  Raoul 05/06/08   13.   Silvienne`s Double Standard! Speaking about IRA,she calls them 20:59  |  Vittorio 05/06/08   14.   Last I Checked, British Army Still Occupies N. Ireland 21:08  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 05/06/08   15.   BLAIR LEADING ISRAEL UP GARDEN PATH!! 21:30  |  Ian 05/06/08   16.   Nice and sweet. Except one thing. Muslims don`t have Commandments 21:38  |  Jeff 05/06/08   17.   Interpretation. 21:44  |  Vital 05/06/08   18.   USING IRELAND TO SOLVE ISRAEL-ARAB 21:53  |  Mitch 05/06/08   19.   Blairs` fallacious idea 21:54  |  Brod 05/06/08   20.   there is no comparison between the two cases 21:55  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/06/08   21.   I for agree with Blair, but use all the lessons 00:04  |  Gee 06/06/08   22.   Of course, dear Mr Imperia, please teach us how to live 00:06  |  Alain 06/06/08   23.   The Catholic Jihad? 00:23  |  Truth Hertz 06/06/08   24.   Mr. Blair 00:26  |  Nezam el Jenini 06/06/08   25.   Wrong Vital 00:40  |  Sean 06/06/08   26.   A further continuation 01:39  |  Free Gilad Shalit 06/06/08   27.   Different situation 01:55  |  Jackie 06/06/08   28.   #4 02:21  |  Johnnymac 06/06/08   29.   Lets give Tony Blair a chance. 16:05  |  Stephen. 06/06/08   30.   #2, Henry... 18:25  |  Silvienne 06/06/08   31.   lessons from ireland (2nd attempt) 19:05  |  gearoid 06/06/08

Read & React Olmert: Broad Gaza military operation closer than ever Responses: 106 Bradley Burston: Leave it to Fox News to elect Obama Responses: 70 Mofaz: Israel attack on Iran 'unavoidable' if nuclear program continued Responses: 117 Neve Gordon: When Israelis took driving lessons in Gaza Responses: 15 Yoel Marcus: Obama and the assembly lines of Jewish cliches Responses: 7 Rosner's Domain Obama and Jerusalem: did you really believe him? Guest: Marrying within the faith isn't racism - it's self preservation Should you mess with the Zohan? (WTR) Poll: Philip Roth, Victor Frankl or Leon Uris? What did Obama say to Joe Lieberman? (WTR) More Headlines 20:24 5 Qassams and 5 mortar shells slam into Negev 16:43 Mofaz: Israel attack on Iran 'unavoidable' if nuclear program continued 03:43 PM to Bush, Abbas: I'll weather legal storm, stay in office 18:12 Obama's pro-Israel speech before AIPAC riles Arab press 19:05 Thousands attend 10th annual Gay Pride parade in Tel Aviv 00:50 Israel lags behind Sudan, Pakistan in number of women in legislature 18:16 New database gathers tales of Shanghai's Holocaust refugees 01:36 Olmert hints major Gaza operation is imminent 22:24 A rabbi, an imam and a priest discuss their 'painful verses' 03:07 Olmert aides: Progress made with U.S. on forging common view on Iran 03:54 IDF spokesman: Announce war casualties only once a day 05:20 New radar system in the works to detect mortars from Gaza Previous Editions Select Day 05 jun 04 jun 03 jun 02 jun 01 jun 30 may 29 may 28 may 27 may 26 may 25 may 23 may

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