Lack of credibility hinders Blair’s ME push

ABU DHABI: British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s drive to revive Middle East peacemaking is failing to reverse the damage done to his credibility by Iraq and this year’s Lebanon crisis, analysts say. Any clout he may have had has been eroded by his unwavering support for US Middle East policy that many Arab leaders view as biased towards Israel and by his inability to persuade Washington to commit to a concerted push for peace, they say.

Blair capped his peace mission on Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates on the final leg of a marathon tour that took him to Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian territories. His aides say he acts as an interlocutor between Arab, Israeli and world leaders but many experts dismissed that. “Blair has absolutely no credibility left in the Middle East amongst the people who are voting,” said Rime Allaf, associate fellow of the Middle East programme at British think-tank Chatham House.

Blair’s aides see the trip as a public relations exercise by a leader who, in his final months, is trying to claw back a foreign policy legacy that is marred by Iraqi bloodshed. Other observers did not doubt Blair’s commitment but said he lacks influence over events. The Iraq war angered many Arabs but Blair’s refusal to call for an immediate halt to Israel’s shelling of Lebanese villages during the July-August war with Hizbullah guerillas was the final straw, she said. “Most people understand the US is pretty much embedded with Israel in this but Britain took a clearly distinct stance form Europe and the rest of the world (on Lebanon).” Blair’s position on Lebanon lost him support among some Labour lawmakers who had stayed loyal over Iraq. >>>cont

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Blair's Legacy Will Be Iraq 'Debacle,' Says Report