Summary
RARELY since we burned down the White House in 1812 has so much hung on the visit of a British politician to Washington. Tony Blair stood on the steps of the (re-built) presidential mansion and thanked George and Laura for having him, while the president welcomed Tony and Cherie as staunch friends and allies. Behind all the pleasantries it was apparent both men viewed their summit meeting as much more than a photo opportunity. President Bush desperately needed political help in restoring progress in Iraq and Palestine while the Prime Minister had to demonstrate that he is more than Mr Bush's junior partner. The ultimate consequence of failure for each man is electoral suicide - for Mr Bush, come November, and for Mr Blair, sometime next year. The consequences for the world are even more worrying. Fortunately, the summit appears to have been a modest success. However, the real question is what happens next.
The context of this vital meeting lies in the Middle East. April has been a cruel month in Iraq: the various insurgent forces have cost the coalition some of its worst casualties since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the 30 June dateline for a handover of sovereignty is looming with no-one entirely clear who will then take charge. This has coincided with the bold move by the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, to pull out of Gaza while virtually declaring Israel will hold on to large parts of the West Bank indefinitely.See the full content of this document
Extract
Leader: Modest Success Behind the White House Pleasantries
President Bush's seeming endorsement of Mr Sharon's strategy earlier this week provoked storms of protest in the Middle East, including among erstwhile American allies such as Egypt. To add fuel to all this political fi...
See the full content of this document
Sponsored links
