INTERVIEW-Blair failing on Mideast, Iran - UK opposition
Source: Reuters
By Sophie Walker LONDON, January 16 (Reuters) - Britain's opposition Conservatives accused Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday of squandering British influence in the Middle East by neglecting moderate Arab states and focusing too narrowly on Israel and the Palestinians. Blair, expected to step down later this year in part owing to public anger over his unswerving support for the war in Iraq, visited the Middle East in December in a bid to advance the peace process which he said could help heal Iraq.Conservative William Hague, likely foreign minister if his party defeats Labour in polls expected by 2009, said Blair's trip had failed because he had neglected the region as a whole. "One of the things we should have been doing for years is building up our relations with the many friendly moderate states of the Middle East. I think many of them feel neglected," Hague told Reuters in an interview. "If we did that ... we would have greater influence in what happens in the Middle East," said Hague, the Conservative Party's foreign affairs spokesman. Hague said it was in any case a "convenient simplification" to suggest efforts to settle conflict between Israel and the Palestinians could help quell violence in Iraq, where Britain is the United States' chief military ally. "Al Qaeda and associated groups are the most significant threat to the security of British citizens at the moment in the world. But not every conflict is a front in the same struggle." "The motivation of a Hezbollah fighter in Lebanon is entirely different from ... someone who joins al Qaeda in Afghanistan and different again from someone who may support Hamas in the occupied territories," he said. GET TOUGH ON IRAN Hague said Blair's failure to engage earlier throughout the region explained why his recent trip had not yielded results. "When he turns up in the Gulf having not been to many of those countries in his whole time, a few months before he leaves office, they're not going to take it that seriously," he said. Calling for tougher action on Iran, Hague said United Nations Security Council members Russia and China also needed to be persuaded it was time to ratchet up the pressure. After weeks of drawn-out negotiations the UN Security Council slapped limited sanctions on Iran last month. Previous drafts were watered down at the request of Russia and China, which have significant commercial interests in the country. Tehran said on Monday it was pressing ahead with a plan to achieve industrial-scale production of nuclear fuel. Western states believe Iran is using a civilian nuclear programme as cover for plans to acquire nuclear arms and demands Tehran cease production of nuclear fuel. "I would have liked to have seen tougher sanctions. They are going to need to go further. When you have one of the permanent members of the security council selling a large quantity of tactical missiles to Iran -- which the Russians have been doing -- it sends out quite a conflicting message," Hague said. Britain should also do more to impose additional financial and travel bans as part of European Union sanctions, Hague said.
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