Blair: Middle East peace this year

Tony Blair has said a peace agreement between Palestine and Israel is possible this year

Saturday, 02, Feb 2008 12:00

Middle East quartet envoy Tony Blair has said he believes that a peace deal between Israel and Palestine could "definitely" be reached this year.

In an interview with the Times newspaper, the former prime minister said solving the longstanding confrontation would help boost moderate forces in the region and that an agreement between the two sides was of paramount importance to securing world peace.

He told the paper: "This is a deal that could definitely be done, and it could definitely be done this year."

"Resolving the Arab-Israeli issue would give an enormous boost to the forces of moderation. Resolving it would be a hugely symbolic act, not just between Israel and Palestine but Islam and the West between people of different faiths. There is nothing more important to world peace than resolving this question,” he said.

Mr Blair said Hamas, which effectively controls Gaza, had a "clever strategy" which needed to be countered. He added that the situation in the area would be "transformed" if the militant group stopped firing rockets into Israeli territory.

The former prime minister explained that the key issue was engendering trust between the two parties so that the Israelis believed that their security concerns would be met while the Palestinians felt that "the occupation will eventually be lifted".

He told the paper: "Without that confidence about the state of the situation on the ground the negotiation becomes more difficult. Sometimes people have looked at this process as one in which if you cut the deal the facts on the ground will alter. In my view it is as much the other way around. Unless you can change the facts on the ground the deal becomes difficult to cut."

US president George Bush has also called for a peace deal to be reached this year, which will be his final year in office. Mr Blair said he did not believe that the final year of the US head of state's second and last term would hinder the conclusion of an agreement between Israel and Palestine.

"I am unworried by the fact that it is President Bush’s last year in office. Firstly, president Bush is immensely popular in Israel. Secondly, I did the Northern Ireland deal the month before I left."

Since stepping down as the head of the government on June 27th 2007, Mr Blair has been appointed as the Middle East quartet's envoy and been offered positions at two financial services firms.