WASHINGTON (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair was due to meet with President George W. Bush to discuss new perspectives on Middle East peace in the aftermath of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat`s death.
The British prime minister arrived here Thursday and went straight to the White House for a dinner with Bush. Neither made statements but were to hold a joint press conference after their meeting Friday.
Reflecting the close relationship between the two, Blair is the first foreign leader received at the White House since Bush`s re-election last week.
Their talks coincided with Arafat`s funeral in Cairo, which has thrown a new spotlight on the deadlocked Middle East peace process, and the US offensive on insurgents in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.
Blair faces intense domestic pressure to reap some benefits from his support for the US-led war in Iraq, and hinted before his departure that the Middle East was where he expected to find this.
"Peace in the Middle East must be the international community`s highest priority," Blair said in a statement following Arafat`s death.
Blair reaffirmed a call for action, saying that "the goal of a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel is one that we must continue to work tirelessly to achieve."
The United States offered some encouragement in Bush`s statement of condolences after the death of the iconic Palestinian leader who had been marginalised during the Bush presidency.
"The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history," Bush said.
"For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbours.
"During the period of transition that is ahead, we urge all in the region and throughout the world to join in helping make progress toward these goals and toward the ultimate goal of peace," Bush added.
Many questions remain about the US attitude so long as a new Palestinian leadership is not in place.
But on the plane to Washington, Blair`s spokesman said the prime minister saw a "new era" for the peace process.
"There is a moment and that moment is to send a signal to the region we are serious about" peace in the Middle East, he told journalists.
"If the world sees president Bush and the prime minister saying they are very serious on this issue and we are committed to it, that helps," the spokesman said.
"We`ve got to get the horse before the cart and get the horse going," he said.
To do that, he said, will take a plan to revive a so-called roadmap toward Mideast peace, which is backed by US, UN, Russian and EU diplomats.
"The work plan is to get the roadmap on the road," he said.
The New York Times on Friday quoted US and European diplomats as saying that Bush was expected to call on Europe to assume a key role in helping the new Palestinian leadership build and support institutions and prepare for negotiations with Israel.
The diplomats said Bush and Blair were likely to discuss that new role, made possible by the end to the disagreement over Arafat`s legitimacy -- accepted by Europe, rejected by Israel and the United States -- and that Bush may endorse a conference on the Middle East Blair wants to hold early next year in Britain.
The Washington Post said the United States was prepared to consider a British proposal to appoint a special Middle East envoy to shepherd the peace process. US officials told the daily they would "listen very carefully to what they have to say."
For the past year and a half, Blair has pledged to make a revival of the peace process a personal priority. He has also tried to persuade Bush to do more to combat global warming since Washington rejected the Kyoto protocol.
With recent British military casualties in Iraq making the war more unpopular than ever at home, according to a recent poll, Blair`s close ties to Bush are seen as a potential liability ahead of a British general election expected next year.
However, in an interview shortly before his departure Thursday, Blair stressed the relationship was merely "part of (the) job".
"The relationship between Britain and the US is fantastically important," Blair told British television channel GMTV.
"You know, I think there always is, and always should be, a situation in which the British prime minister and the American president get on well together. I regard it as part of my job."
Blair`s role in international affairs will become more important in 2005 when Britain is to hold both the year-long presidency of the Group of Eight most industrialized nations and the six-month presidency of the European Union, starting in July.
Officials traveling with Blair said that the two leaders would also discuss Blair`s objectives for the G8 on global climate change and the economic situation in Africa.
Other likely topics are Iran`s uranium enrichment program and the country`s possible use of the technology.
11/12/2004 - 16:00 GMT - AFP