Uninfluenciatal Blair is under fire at home

LONDON, March 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Lacking the necessary influence, British Prime Minister Tony Blair failed during talks in Washington to convince President George W. Bush of the need for a leading UN role in post-war Iraq, Britain's press said Friday, March 28.

"The question remains: what did Blair achieve by going to America?" The Independent asked in its editorial.

"If he went to resolve the differences of opinion between him and George Bush about aspects of the post-conflict settlement... he failed," the paper concluded.

According to the paper, the first signs of tension between Britain and America over the rebuilding and running of post-war Iraq have emerged with the award of a $4.8m (£3m) contract to manage the captured port of Umm Qasr.

British forces are determined to engage an Iraqi director and staff to run the country's only deep-water port, which is expected to provide the gateway for humanitarian aid and military supplies.

However, the U.S. Agency for International Development has already awarded the contract to Stevedoring Services of America, a Seattle company. The British Army is pressing ahead with its plan to reinstall the man who directed the port before the Allied invasion. Britain sees this as the first big test of the proclaimed Allied intention to ensure that Iraqi resources are used for the benefit of the Iraqi people.

Blair met Bush Thursday for talks on a post-war Iraq at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland.

Blair is seeking more UN involvement in reconstructing Iraq than Washington may be ready to allow. The British leader is pushing for a UN resolution giving the international body the lead role in running post-war Iraq and supplying humanitarian aid.

But the Bush administration, distrustful of a politically divided and bureaucratically slow United Nations, reportedly wants Iraq ruled under the direct control of its military, even if it sees a role for the UN in distributing humanitarian aid.

In London, The Guardian said Blair and Bush "skirted round" the issue of who would run a post-war Iraq to reporters "seemingly because there is no agreement."

Meanwhile Alex Brummer, a political commentator for the Daily Mail, wrote: "Blair clearly hopes that he has the clout to divert this American government to a multilateral approach to the civilian administration of the peace. I detect that his chances of success are limited."

The Financial Times said Blair's lack of influence over Bush was also highlighted by his failure to get the President to announce a firm date for the publication of a "roadmap" towards peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

"Neither objective can be said to be secure and the limits of Blair's influence over the U.S. are apparent," the business daily said.

Following talks with Blair, Bush said the roadmap would appear "soon."

Blair, Annan Discuss Iraq

Meanwhile, Blair and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Thursday discussed the humanitarian emergency caused by the U.S. and British invasion of Iraq.

Blair flew into New York after talks with Bush at Camp David and met Annan for a total of 50 minutes, half of the time in private and half with aides.

Blair's delegation included Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Jeremy Greenstock.

Annan was accompanied by the deputy secretary general, Louise Frechette, the chief coordinator of United Nations emergency relief operations, Kenzo Oshima, and Benon Sevan, head of the UN oil-for-food program in Iraq.

Blair and Annan discussed Iraq humanitarian crisis

Minutes before Blair entered Annan's office, it was announced that members of the Security Council had agreed on a draft resolution to reactivate the program, which was suspended when Annan ordered all UN staff out of Iraq last week on the eve of war.

Blair and Annan "welcomed the progress achieved on that front," Annan's spokesman's office said.

It said the two men also "reviewed the next steps in the search for a peace agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis."

German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger told reporters he expected the draft to be put to the vote Friday and said he hoped it would be adopted "by consensus" of the 15 council members.

Pleuger, head of the council's Iraq sanctions committee, said he had tabled the draft in final form - a procedure known as putting it "in blue".

But a draft can be changed up to the moment of a vote, and one council diplomat said the United States and Russia were still unhappy with different parts of the text.

If adopted, the draft would authorize Annan to change the Iraqi government's priorities for the current six-month phase of the program.

The resolution, to be renewed every 45 days, would empower him to rewrite contracts, sign new agreements with Iraq's suppliers and arrange new entry points for imports of food, medicine and other essentials.

It would also allow Annan "on an exceptional and reimbursable basis" to divert funds set aside from Iraq's oil revenues to compensate Kuwait for the 1990-91 invasion and occupation of their country, and use the money to meet humanitarian needs in Iraq.

The diplomat said the United States objected to that clause.