ME peace deal possible - Blair
12/01/2008 10:03  - (SA)  

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London - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Friday he believed a Middle East peace deal was possible before the end of the year.

Blair, the Middle East envoy for the so-called Quartet peacemakers - the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia - agreed with US President George W Bush that Israelis and Palestinians could reach an agreement in 2008.

"Sure, it is absolutely possible to have a peace deal by the end of the year if people want to make it happen," Blair said in an interview broadcast on Sky News television.

But any deal would require those involved "to have the courage to take the difficult decisions to make the difficult compromises", he said.

Blair said there was no option but to have both a state of Israel and a Palestinian state "living side by side," but added any deal must guarantee Israel's security.

"But if we can achieve those terms and give the Palestinian people a state, then I think there is nothing more important in the battle against ... extremism and terrorism that is fairly deep-rooted in many parts of the world today," Blair said.

Bush and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are "absolutely and totally committed" to finding a solution, Blair said.

"I think given the determination there is to succeed and given the desire on the part of the American leadership, the Israeli leadership, the Palestinian leadership to see it happen, I think people could be surprised this year," he said.

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