Blair says he'll make Middle East his 'personal priority'

BRIGHTON, England, Sept 28 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday that he would make the revival of the Middle East peace process his "personal priority" after the US presidential elections.
"This party knows the depth of my commitment to the Middle East peace process and shares my frustration at the lack of progress," Blair told delegates to the annual conference of his Labour Party here.
"After November, I will make its revival a personal priority," he said, in a clear reference to the US election on November 2 that will determine whether President George W. Bush remains in the White House.
"Two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in an enduring peace, would do more to defeat this terrorism than bullets alone can ever do," the prime minister added.
The quest for peace in the Middle East -- including a diplomatic "road map" that calls for a separate Palestinian state -- has been in limbo as bloody clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians continue.
Blair did not explain how exactly he would try to revive the peace process.
But political analysts said Britain would be in a key position to do so in 2005 when it holds the presidency of both the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations and, from July next year, the European Union.