Qureia attacks Blair conference plan

PALESTINIAN Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia yesterday poured scorn on British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s peace initiative yesterday - throwing into doubt a London conference that Israel has already said it will boycott.

He said that he was disappointed with the plan to hold a conference in March that will focus on reforms in the Palestinian Authority.

Both men held talks in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Wednesday, where Mr Blair proposed holding a one-day conference to promote administrative, economic and security reforms the Palestinians need to make before they can reach a peace deal and have an independent state.