British Prime Minister Tony Blair AP PHOTO

Under pressure to find a new course in Iraq, Blair said Britain's strategy should evolve as it faces a changing situation on the ground.

Because much of the militancy in Iraq comes from outside its borders, Blair said what he called a "whole Middle East strategy" was needed to counter it.

Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be the core of such an approach, he argued, followed by efforts to stabilize Lebanon and unite moderate Arabs and Muslims behind a push for peace in those countries and in Iraq.

Blair's address, delivered a day before he is scheduled to speak by video link to America's Iraq Study Group, was aimed at promoting dialogue with both Iran and Syria, his office said.

The Japan Times Weekly: Nov. 18, 2006
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