Top > World > 2006 > November > 2006-11-10

Blair Speaks on the Middle East Situation

British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, in his monthly press conference, gave his opinion on certain issues in the Middle East, including the death sentence handed down to Saddam Hussein in Iraq and his government?s position regarding a Hamas-led Palestinian state. Blair said that the British government opposed the death penalty and would consider establishing ties with Hamas if they met with certain conditions.

A television journalist was unable to get a direct answer out of Blair concerning his personal opinion on the death-by-hanging sentence imposed on ex-Iraqi tyrant, Saddam Hussein. Instead, Blair reiterated several times his government?s general opposition to capital punishment. ?We are against the death penalty? whether it is Saddam?s or anyone else,? Blair stated. He did, however, say that it was the Iraqis themselves who handed down the sentence and they would ultimately decide whether to carry it out or not.

In response to a question regarding the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Blair said that his government would negotiate with a Hamas-led Palestine if it met all the demands set out by the United States and European Union. Two central demands include renouncing the use of violence and recognizing the right of the Jewish state to exist. ?You can`t negotiate a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine, if one part of the people you`re negotiating with is saying `We don`t want Israel to exist,? Blair said.