Blair sees no Middle East progress before US election

LONDON, Oct 13 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted Wednesday that he could see no progress on the Middle East peace process until after the US presidential election.
During his weekly question period in parliament, Blair reiterated his pledge -- made at the annual conference of his Labour Party two weeks ago -- that he would make the Middle East "a personal priority ... after November".
"I would like to see the peace process revived now, (but) I think the reality is that it will be after the presidential election in the next few weeks that we can make progress."
Americans vote November 2 on whether to keep Republican incumbant George W. Bush in the White House for another four years or replace him with Democratic challenger John Kerry.
In an interview last weekend, Kerry hit out at Bush for ignoring the internationally-backed "road map" for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
He also said that, under Bush, the United States has been "stunningly disengaged" in the Middle East with the exception of Iraq.
Blair, who has been Bush's staunchest ally on Iraq, has steadfastly refused to indicate his personal preference in the US vote.