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Blair warns America of Muslim backlash over war on Iraq
Telegraph ^ | Saturday January 11 2003 | Toby Helm, Chief Political Correspondent

Posted on 01/11/2003 3:34:32 AM PST by Brian Allen

Tony Blair has told Washington that a war in Iraq could unleash a dangerous wave of anti-American feeling across the Muslim world unless it re-doubles efforts to secure peace in the Middle East.

His comments were made public as Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said he would hold telephone talks next week with senior Palestinian officials after an Israeli ban prevented them from attending a London meeting in person.

"I am holding a telephone conference on Tuesday with senior members of the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian civil society," Mr Straw said in a statement released by the Foreign Office.

The Palestinians involved in the telephone conference include Yasser Abed Rabbo, the information minister, Nabil Shaath, the minister of planning and international co-operation and Salam Fayad, the finance minister, Mr Straw said.

Mr Blair believes that the need to push for Middle East peace has never been greater as a war with Iraq approaches. In an interview with Reader's Digest, he said he is acutely worried by the number of Muslims who believe that the West is "after" Saddam Hussein because he is a Muslim rather than because he poses a threat to world security.

"So far as the Muslim world is concerned, the perception is we worry about Iraq but we don't care about the Middle East peace process," he said.

Asked if America is doing enough to advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians, Mr Blair made clear that more has to be done.

"America is doing what it can, but we've got to re-double our efforts because the best recruiting ground for anti-Americanism is on this issue.

"You've got to engage with the Arab-Muslim world in a more fundamentally long-term way about the fanaticism in parts of the Arab world, about democracy, about inter-faith understanding," he said.

America is said to have been less than enthusiastic when Mr Blair announced his plan for a London mini-summit with Palestinian leaders.

The issue of whether to sit down with representatives of the Palestinian Authority has exposed clear differences between Washington and London. While Mr Blair believes that violence in the Middle East will not end unless efforts are made to engage the Palestinians in talks, the Americans argue that killings will continue until Yasser Arafat is removed from power and therefore believe summits are largely pointless.

Mr Blair's frustration grew this week when the Israelis banned the Palestinian representatives from attending the London meeting, mainly in response to two suicide bombings in Tel Aviv which killed 23 people last weekend. Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, was also annoyed that Mr Blair had invited Israel's Labour leader, Amram Mitzna, to Downing Street in the run up to his country's general election.

Frustration in London was all the more intense as the Americans appeared not to have used their influence to persuade the Israelis to reverse the decision and lift travel bans on the Palestinians.

In a speech to British ambassadors on Tuesday Mr Blair insisted that Britain and America were the closest of allies, but hinted that he wanted more from the "special relationship", saying the Americans should "listen back". Downing Street denied any split with Washington over their view of what would trigger war.

Labour backbenchers said there would be serious unrest in the party with the possibility of ministerial resignations if Britain went to war without a second resolution being passed in the United Nations.

Helen Jackson, the vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, said there was "always a possibility" that some junior ministers might feel so strongly they could resign.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Israel
KEYWORDS: corruption; crime; deception; duplicity; foreignpolicy; israel; lies; philosophy
1. Blair and his squalid little socialist-statist Neo-Axis pals are, of course, worming out of both their obligations to and membership of Judeo-Christian [IE: "Human"] Civilization.

2. Who will notice?

1 posted on 01/11/2003 3:34:32 AM PST by Brian Allen
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To: dennisw
Ping
2 posted on 01/11/2003 3:37:13 AM PST by Brian Allen (This above all; to thine own self be true)
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To: Brian Allen
>>Tony Blair has told Washington that a war in Iraq could unleash a dangerous wave of anti-American feeling across the Muslim world unless it re-doubles efforts to secure peace in the Middle East.

With what I have learned about Muslims post-9/11, it seems to be that being disliked by Muslims is a badge of honor. And yes, I know that's intolerant, insensitive, and politically incorrect.
3 posted on 01/11/2003 3:41:48 AM PST by FreedomPoster (This space intentionally blank)
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To: Brian Allen
His insight is startling.....but timing's a little off....
4 posted on 01/11/2003 3:44:29 AM PST by dogbrain ("You don't say?")
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To: FreedomPoster
<< ..... being disliked by Muslims is a badge of honor ..... >>
[But -- SHHHHHHHHHHH! --don't let on to the vile and execrably-amoral moral reletivists, terrorist-appeasing Turd-Way Tony Blair and Jack Straw -- and their fellow loathesome and fearsome, Neo-Axis-NATO, EURO-peon ilk! (Long may they all burn in Hell)]

5 posted on 01/11/2003 4:02:57 AM PST by Brian Allen (This above all; to thine own self be true)
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To: Brian Allen
"So far as the Muslim world is concerned, the perception is we worry about Iraq but we don't care about the Middle East peace process," he said.

I don't understand why their mental degradation is my responsibility. Because Muslims continue to ignore the truth, continue to misunderstand our clearly stated national security policy, and continue to twist all reasonable thinking into mental illness, I have completely lost patience with them.

Oh, that and the WTC in 2001 helped me to formulate my opinion. I am not afraid of the Muslim street, I am not afraid of a backlash, and I expect our President to continue to DEFEND MY FREEDOM. I wear the uniform of the US to ensure that our President has the ability to execute.

6 posted on 01/11/2003 4:13:41 AM PST by gcraig
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To: Brian Allen
Tony Blair's agenda in being our "ally" has all along been to restrain & constrain the USA. This is his mandate from his EU masters.
7 posted on 01/11/2003 4:21:55 AM PST by geros
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To: Brian Allen
(Muslims hate us) = (We must be doing something right)
8 posted on 01/11/2003 4:22:00 AM PST by Moonman62
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To: Brian Allen
I have been wondering about something -- maybe someone here can give a different perspective. Iraq is supposed to prove that it has no WMD. But how do they prove a negative?

For instance, if police came on your property, and said "prove to us that you have no guns, drugs, whatever" and you gave permission to search and they didn't find anything but still said you have to prove you don't have them, how would you do that?

Carolyn

9 posted on 01/11/2003 4:28:02 AM PST by CDHart
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To: geros; unending thunder
<< .... Blair's agenda in being our "ally" has all along been to restrain & constrain the USA. This is his mandate from his EU masters. >>

Thank's for [Also] noticing.

Ping
10 posted on 01/11/2003 4:35:19 AM PST by Brian Allen (This above all; to thine own self be true)
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To: Brian Allen
2. Who will notice?

At least Tony has had the balls to stand in their with us, unlike the rest of Europe. He's not wrong about a backlash. It'll sure be there. I wouldn't hang the man for speaking the truth.

11 posted on 01/11/2003 4:43:42 AM PST by Glenn
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To: Moonman62
M + g = 2T (Muslim with a gun = double trouble)

M + wmd = Tn (Muslim with WMD = exponential trouble)

12 posted on 01/11/2003 4:49:11 AM PST by UKCajun
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To: Moonman62
Had a rethink on formula. Should probably look more like this:

M + w = 2T (Muslim with a weapon = double trouble)

M + wmd = Tn (Muslim with weapon of mass destruction = exponential trouble)

13 posted on 01/11/2003 4:53:47 AM PST by UKCajun
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To: Glenn
At least Tony has had the balls to stand in their with us, unlike the rest of Europe.

Yup, and I apperciate that he and his nation aren't trying to instigate a wider scoped war, nor are the "billing us in advance" for any inconveniences (like other "allies" are sleazily attempting).

He also has a little problem with his populace, who are extremely against this war. They are the ones who elected him to serve their interests.

At the end of the day they'll be on board....and that's the bottom line.
14 posted on 01/11/2003 5:49:52 AM PST by mr.pink
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To: Glenn
At least Tony has had the balls to stand in their with us, unlike the rest of Europe. He's not wrong about a backlash. It'll sure be there. I wouldn't hang the man for speaking the truth.

Sure the backlash will be there, but should we really alter our foreign policy to minimize this backlash (which is how I read what Blair is saying)? He mentions the problems in the Middle East...are we supposed to get that sorted (as if we ever could to the Arab's satisfaction anyway) before we take on Saddam so that there will be less "backlash" from the Muslim world? I don't think we should compromise our principles to try and get the Arab's to like us more. Bottom line: they're never going to like us or be able to cooexist peacefully in the world with us. So let's worry about preserving our civilization, way of life, and not trying to get our enimies to like us. I think Bush is for the former, and Blair - good Socialist that he is - leans towards the latter.

15 posted on 01/11/2003 11:04:50 AM PST by ejdrapes
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Comment #16 Removed by Moderator

To: Yehuda
Bingo! If they don't, my answer to the problem, from "The Scandal of U.S.-Saudi Relations by Daniel Pipesthe" thread a couple of days ago:


17 posted on 01/12/2003 9:02:29 AM PST by FreedomPoster (This space intentionally blank)
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Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

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