Blair to brief US Iraq inquiry

Tony Blair is today sharing his thoughts on future strategies for Iraq with a high-level American inquiry into the conflict.

The prime minister is giving evidence in private via videolink from Downing Street to the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan US panel chaired by former secretary of state James Baker.

Mr Blair's evidence will remain private, but the timing of the submission comes at a critical juncture in US politics, with president Bush humbled by last week's midterm elections and a growing disenchantment with the war on both sides of the Atlantic.

The ISG group's report is widely seen as a face-saving way for the Republican administration to announce some form of troop withdrawal. Downing Street gave no indication of what Mr Blair would say to the ISG except that he would ensure the US panel was "fully briefed on UK ideas".

But his message was expected to be similar to that in a major speech to the City last night, when he opened the prospect of a new relationship with Iran and Syria.

The two countries - which border Iraq - have previously been described as part of an "arc of extremism" by Mr Blair earlier this year - a quieter echo of Mr Bush's "axis of evil" speech of 2002.

But Mr Blair last night implored Tehran to assist the Middle East peace process, stop supporting terrorism in Iraq and Lebanon and abide by its international obligations on nuclear non-proliferation.

"In that case, a new partnership is possible," the prime minister said. "Or alternatively they face the consequences of not doing so: isolation." Although the speech at the Guildhall was billed as "as the situation evolves, the policy evolves", Mr Blair insisted there was no shift in policy towards the two countries.

He said his top priority was the Israel-Palestine conflict - which he described as "the core".

Mr Blair called for a "whole Middle East strategy" which tackled forces outside Iraq seeking to create difficulties inside the country.

The shadow foreign secretary, William Hague, doubted last night whether Mr Blair could influence US policy, as his domestic power was "evaporating and his longevity in office is limited".

"It's quite hard for a prime minister in that situation to breathe new life into a peace process in the Middle East or to influence the American administration," he said.

www.guardian.co.uk