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Blair travels to Washington to discuss Lebanon crisis

British Prime Minister Tony Blair was due to arrive in Washington yesterday to discuss strategies for ending the Middle East crisis, amid growing pressure at home for Britain to distance itself from its longtime ally and call for an immediate end to violence between Israel and Hezbollah.

Talks between Blair and US President George W. Bush were to focus on building momentum for a cease-fire, Blair's spokesman said, as well as a plan for an international peacekeeping force.

But Blair is aware that many in Britain believe he should align himself with the UN and EU and call for an immediate end to the fighting in Lebanon, using the White House meeting to press Bush to add his support to such a move.

An open letter published yesterday in Britain's Independent newspaper and signed by former British Cabinet ministers and ambassadors urged Blair to help broker a swift cease-fire. It warned that any continuing support for Israel's military action could become as unpopular with the public as the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

"The prime minister is going into the trip with some very serious issues to discuss. He is extremely focused on trying to solve these issues," said a spokesman for Blair's Downing Street office, on customary condition of anonymity.

Bush is likely to have opted for a different greeting than on the last occasion the two leaders met.

At the G8 summit in St Petersburg, Russia, the President hailed his colleague with a hearty, "Yo, Blair!" -- a salutation that led to more domestic criticism for Blair.

The comment, made in an overheard conversation, has had British citizens, lawmakers and columnists wondering aloud if there is substance to the view that Blair is the junior partner in an unequal trans-Atlantic relationship.

During his US visit, Blair must also take account of an uproar in Britain over allegations that two US-chartered planes carrying missiles to Israel stopped to refuel at a Scottish airport without providing authorities with details of their hazardous cargo.

That pitstop has provoked new criticism from those who question what Britain receives in return for its "special relationship" with the US, particularly in light of divisions between the nations over international trade and climate change.

While the visit to Washington is likely to be challenging for Blair, experts worry little may be accomplished considering.

"I don't think there will be great achievement," said Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East foreign policy expert at the London-based think tank Chatham House. "They just met at the G8 summit. They are meeting to show a certain level of unity in their approach to international affairs."
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