Blair faces growing criticism over Middle East

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's persistent refusal to listen to appeals from his cabinet ministers to seek an early ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has triggered growing criticism and dissent over his tough approach towards the Mideast conflict.

Speaking at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on Tuesday, Blair admitted that the U.S. and Britain were losing the battle for mainstream Muslim and Arab opinion.

The West was "very far" from persuading world opinion that it was fair or even-handed, said Blair, who was in Los Angeles, after meeting with President George W. Bush last Friday for talks on the deployment of an international force and an eventual cease-fire in Lebanon.

But senior Labour figures will be furious that Blair has once again failed to call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

As he returns to Britain on Wednesday, Blair will find himself isolated from his own Cabinet over the issue.

Last week, Jack Straw, the former Foreign Secretary, became the first cabinet minister to deliberately break the Cabinet line by criticizing Israel's response as "disproportionate".

According to local reports, current Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett tried but failed to get Blair to call for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon when he met Bush last Friday.

She urged Blair to at least oppose the use of British civilian airports as stopover points for secret U.S. and Israeli flights carrying munitions to the Israeli armed forces. But Blair shrugged off her complaints, leaving Beckett to make her dissatisfaction clear by saying she was going to demand answers from the Americans about the use of British airports.

Some of Blair's most senior ministers are now openly questioning his leadership on the issue.

A number of cabinet ministers, including key loyalists such as Environment Secretary David Miliband and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, have expressed their concern about the Israeli attacks in Lebanon, while senior members of the Cabinet showed dissent at the final cabinet meeting before the summer recess.

It is reported that some ministers who did not speak out have sent notes to Blair saying, "Do not take our silence as consent."

"At home or abroad, he is dragging Britain further into the mire," said Frank Dobson, a former cabinet minister.

On Thursday, Blair will have to defend his position at a monthly press conference in Downing Street. And he is under increasing pressure to postpone his holiday, scheduled to begin on Friday, until a ceasefire is agreed. But some critics have said his absence might even be a blessing.

Source: Xinhua