Blair defends Middle Eastern diplomacy bid

Tony Blair has ‘‘no regrets’’ about his fraught diplomatic mission to the Middle East, despite failing to achieve any great breakthrough in the peace process, Downing Street said today.

Mr Blair is due to brief key European leaders over the next few days on his talks with Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat before heading to Washington on Wednesday to meet President George Bush.

Mr Blair met Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi on his way back to Britain and was expected to host meetings on Sunday with Germany’s Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac and prime minister Lionel Jospin.

Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar was also expected in London before Mr Blair leaves for the United States.

Alastair Campbell, the Downing Street director of strategy and communications and one of Mr Blair’s closest aides, dismissed media criticism of his Middle East trip, insisting they had always known it would be difficult.

The Prime Minister had to endure a public lecture from Syria’s President Bashar Assad on the rights of the Palestinians and a flat refusal by Mr Sharon to negotiate until all violence had stopped, as well as failing to win Saudi support for the bombing of Afghanistan.

‘‘If there was one Arab country or one Arab person who was at least more persuaded of our country’s commitment to the peace process ... then it has been worthwhile,’’ Mr Campbell said.

He added: ‘‘I am not going to pretend there was a great breakthrough.’’

Of Mr Blair’s meeting with President Assad, he said: ‘‘He has no regrets whatsoever about the fact that he went and engaged with someone Britain has not engaged with before. He has begun a dialogue which in time will develop.’’

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had been more upbeat, hinting at progress behind the scenes towards re-starting talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

‘‘The value of the trip is not to be gleaned from what was said, entirely predictably, from a press conference. The value of the trip was to be gleaned from what was said in private,’’ he said.

‘‘It is of critical importance that this peace process gets back on track, and, in our judgment, this trip helped very, very significantly towards that.’’

Tory former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind strongly criticised the visit, saying that it had been ‘‘unwise’’ of Mr Blair to go.

‘‘The decision to have a public press conference in Damascus was extremely ill-advised, because the outcome was entirely predictable,’’ he said.

‘‘You cannot have a public press conference with President Assad in Damascus without him using it as an opportunity to attack Britain and to attack the West. That must have been known in advance.’’