Blair supports the announcement of Palestinian state
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has asserted his country's support for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including their right to establish their own independent state.
In a statement to the London-based newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat, Blair said that declaring the Palestinian state is an obvious choice in the course of the agreement between the Israeli and the Palestinians. He expected that Britain will discuss with its European partners the future declaration of the Palestinian state.
Concerning the Middle East peace process Blair said his country believes that the US proposals are the best means to achieve peace in the region. He added that his country played a constructive role during its rotary presidency of the European Union concerning the Middle East peace process.
He noted that his country is still committed to harvesting the fruits of the said efforts and that European efforts in the Middle East peace process should not be considered a substitute for the US efforts in this respect. Blair described the European efforts in this area as completing the role played by the US and not in contradiction with it.
