Tony Blair Says Farewell to Iraq
British Prime Minister Tony Blair made an unexpected visit to Iraq on Saturday. It was his seventh visit to the country as British prime minister. Blair came to Iraq on his way back from Washington. He had been in there just a week earlier, but returned to try to convince Iraqi leaders to work harder for peace between the Sunni and Shia communities.
Minutes before Blair's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talibani, two blasts occurred in the tightly-guarded green zone of Baghdad. One Iraqi guard was killed and the parking garage of the British embassy was damaged. Blair arrived at the meeting by helicopter because of security concerns. The Iraqis rejected Blair's proposal that local elections be held early to give Sunnis, who boycotted the last elections, a greater voice. Nonetheless, Blair spoke to journalists of “transformation and hope” after the meeting.
Later that day, Blair traveled to the British base at Basra to thank and bid farewell to the 5500 British troops stationed there. As the prime minister was drinking tea and praising the troops inside the base, another explosion took place at its perimeter.
That same day, the BBC broadcast an interview with former U.S. president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter in which Carter harshly criticized Blair for his “blind” support of the Iraq war. The war has cost the lives of 148 Britons so far and cost Blair much public support, effectively ending his political career.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of May 21, 2007
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