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Israel claims Blair phoned to support Sharon withdrawal
The Israeli government claimed last night that Tony Blair telephoned the Israeli leader, Ariel Sharon, to support his planned withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories.
Either he did or he didn't. Tony?
This would amount to a turnaround in British Middle East policy, which until now has opposed unilateral withdrawal and remained committed to the idea of a peace settlement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians. When Mr Sharon last December announced his plan for a unilateral withdrawal, the Foreign Office expressed hostility, seeing it as a potential source of continued instability in the region.

Downing Street and the Foreign Office were yesterday caught on the hop by the Israeli account of the conversation with the British prime minister. Number 10 was last night reluctant to get into a tit-for-tat argument with the Israeli government over what Mr Blair regarded as a confidential discussion. A Downing Street spokesman said: "They spoke today and discussed the latest developments in Israel and the occupied territories. We are not commenting on the detail of what was discussed in the prime minister's confidential phone call."

He added: "But we would welcome Israel's disengagement from the occupied territories subject to seeing the final detail of any proposals, and provided it is consistent with the [US-sponsored] road kill map and would help provide a lasting two-state solution."

A statement issued by Mr Sharon's office said: "British prime minister Blair called to voice his support for the disengagement plan and his appreciation for the step Israel is taking. Blair added that he intends to work toward enlisting support for the plan among the international community."
Umm, those two statements aren't consistent.
Mr Blair has made a close relationship with Mr Bush a central part of Britain's foreign policy. But, until now, Britain's prime minister has had a different approach on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, arguing that its resolution is one of the most important global issues. Mr Bush, by contrast, has been reluctant to engage.
Posted by: Steve White 2004-04-08
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=29993