Blair pushes for 'peacemaker' headlines

Reuters - Blair pushes for Lebanon accord

Prime Minister Tony Blair telephoned world leaders on Monday in a bid to bridge differences over a United Nations resolution on Lebanon as political pressure mounted over his handling of the crisis.

... Blair - who has delayed joining his family on holiday to search for an agreement by telephone - continued to speak to key players in the U.N. negotiations.

"We recognise the concerns on both sides, we are dealing with two countries which have deep rooted differences and the prime minister is working to bring some of those together," said a spokeswoman for Blair, when asked about Lebanon's resistance to the draft.

"The prime minister is committed to bringing about the earliest possible passage of a resolution," she said. Link

db: Who wants to listen to the monkey? The organ grinder is already well represented at the UN. Deputy secretary-general Mark Malloch Brown got it right last week:

And in a humiliating attack, deputy secretary-general Mark Malloch Brown said the Prime Minister's refusal to demand a truce along with his seemingly inflexible support for George Bush was to blame for the continuing bloodshed in Lebanon.

As Israel carried on its devastating blitz against Hizbollah, the UN insisted Mr Blair was the wrong person to lead any peace negotiations.

Mr Malloch Brown said: "We need Jacques Chirac and Bush, or Chirac, Bush and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah on a podium, not President Bush and Mr Blair."

"It's not helpful for it again to appear to be the team that led on Iraq. This cannot be perceived as a US-UK deal with Israel. It's important to know not just when to lead but when to follow."