World News 08-11-2001 Bush and Blair Share Kodak Moment who: Tony Blair what: Tells George W Bush that war on terrorism depends on plan for Middle East peace where: The White House, Washington DC when: Yesterday snippet: "Tony Blair is urging President George Bush to throw the full weight of the United States behind a new push for peace in the Middle East," reports The Independent after Britain`s prime minister arrived at The White House to brief the president on his recent Middle East diplomatic mission. "The Prime Minister warned that Arab and Muslim countries would not fully support the war on terrorism unless they were convinced America and its allies were committed to a long-term solution in the Middle East and Afghanistan," continues the report by Andrew Grice and Rupert Cornwell. The Guardian says that US secretary of state Colin Powell is on the brink of issuing a statement which will support the principle of a Palestinian state. What form that takes, explains Patrick Wintour, depends largely on the results of negotiations between Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and his foreign minister Shimon Peres, but it is expected to demand tough compromises on both sides. Meanwhile, Damian Whitworth of The Times, taking his cue from a remark made by Mr Bush, describes the White House meeting somewhat dismissively as "a Kodak moment". "The two Presidents strode in and told the world what great friends they were," he writes. "`I`ve got no better person like to talk to about our mutual concerns than Tony Blair,` Mr Bush said. One wonders who else he would want to talk to about America`s and Britain`s mutual concerns." [... more]

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