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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Blair to meet Palestinian leader | Blair to meet Palestinian leader |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Tony Blair is to meet the president of the Palestinian Authority on the second day of his visit to the Middle East. | Tony Blair is to meet the president of the Palestinian Authority on the second day of his visit to the Middle East. |
| The prime minister's meeting with Mahmoud Abbas comes a day after he met the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. | The prime minister's meeting with Mahmoud Abbas comes a day after he met the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. |
| Mr Olmert said he was ready to meet the Palestinian leader to advance peace efforts. It follows Mr Abbas's calls for fresh negotiations with Israel. | Mr Olmert said he was ready to meet the Palestinian leader to advance peace efforts. It follows Mr Abbas's calls for fresh negotiations with Israel. |
| Mr Blair will not be meeting the leaders of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian government. | Mr Blair will not be meeting the leaders of the Hamas-controlled Palestinian government. |
| Britain, like the rest of the EU, is boycotting the Hamas administration. | Britain, like the rest of the EU, is boycotting the Hamas administration. |
| The prime minister's visit to the Middle East comes amid the continuing row over when he leaves office. | The prime minister's visit to the Middle East comes amid the continuing row over when he leaves office. |
| There is a crisis. The economy is level zero Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/5326378.stm" class="">UN warns of Gaza 'breaking point' | |
| Mr Blair said the stability of the Middle East was essential to the rest of the world, including the UK. | Mr Blair said the stability of the Middle East was essential to the rest of the world, including the UK. |
| Speaking of the recent Lebanon conflict, Mr Blair said he wanted to work to make sure the UN resolution which ended the conflict was fully implemented. | Speaking of the recent Lebanon conflict, Mr Blair said he wanted to work to make sure the UN resolution which ended the conflict was fully implemented. |
| Mr Olmert said he was ready to begin talks with Mr Abbas to advance peace efforts. | Mr Olmert said he was ready to begin talks with Mr Abbas to advance peace efforts. |
| The EU has insisted Hamas recognises Israel's right to exist before there can be any dialogue with the administration. | The EU has insisted Hamas recognises Israel's right to exist before there can be any dialogue with the administration. |
| There have been protests in the West Bank town of Hebron | There have been protests in the West Bank town of Hebron |
| But Hamas argues the real problem has been Mr Blair's attachment to the US, which it says views the Middle East from Israel's perspective. | But Hamas argues the real problem has been Mr Blair's attachment to the US, which it says views the Middle East from Israel's perspective. |
| Civil servants, including teachers, have gone on strike because of wage freezes prompted by the EU boycott. | Civil servants, including teachers, have gone on strike because of wage freezes prompted by the EU boycott. |
| "There is a crisis. The economy is level zero. The security situation is very hard," Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad told the news agency AFP. | "There is a crisis. The economy is level zero. The security situation is very hard," Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad told the news agency AFP. |
| 'Widespread contempt' | |
| Israeli vice premier Shimon Peres told Israeli radio a plan for troops to pull out of parts of the occupied West Bank had "disappeared" in the wake of recent Hezbollah attacks, the Associated Press news agency said. | |
| "We evacuated Gaza and Lebanon and they continued to fire from there like fools," Mr Peres was quoted as saying. | |
| The BBC's Alan Johnston, in the West Bank, said Mr Abbas's camp would "welcome Mr Blair's efforts to re-energise the peace process". | The BBC's Alan Johnston, in the West Bank, said Mr Abbas's camp would "welcome Mr Blair's efforts to re-energise the peace process". |
| But he added: "There is a widespread contempt for Mr Blair among Palestinians. | But he added: "There is a widespread contempt for Mr Blair among Palestinians. |
| "They regard him as having done virtually nothing to support their efforts to end the Israeli occupation here." | "They regard him as having done virtually nothing to support their efforts to end the Israeli occupation here." |