Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., February 08, 2008 Adar1 2, 5768 | | Israel Time: 04:02 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Quartet envoy to the Mideast Tony Blair. (Tess Scheflan / Jini) Last update - 20:59 07/02/2008 Mideast envoy Blair says PA starting to abide by 'road map' By Reuters Tags: Israel, West Bank, Mark Regev  The Quartet's Middle East envoy Tony Blair said Thursday that Palestinian security forces had significantly improved and were starting to carry out their part in the long-stalled "road map" peace plan. The former British prime minister, now the envoy for the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators which include the European Union, the United States, Russia and the United Nations, urged Israel to respond by easing travel and trade restrictions imposed on the Palestinians in the West Bank. The U.S. government will assess and judge whether Israel and the Palestinians are meeting their obligations under the 2003 road map as part of a push for a Palestinian statehood agreement before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office next January. Advertisement Statehood could hinge on those assessments because Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has vowed not to implement any future peace agreements until Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets his road map obligation to crack down on militants. "I think it is important to recognize that what has happened here in Nablus over these past few months is, of course, precisely what phase one of the 'road map' asks for," Blair said during a visit to the West Bank city. Earlier Thursday, during a visit south of Ramallah, he said: "The Palestinian side has improved significantly their security capability." Israel has yet to fulfill its own road map commitments to halt Jewish settlement activity and to uproot outposts built without government authorization in the West Bank. Israeli officials said the Palestinians had a long way to go before they would meet their security obligations, citing a suicide bombing this week in southern Israel. "We agree that the Palestinian Authority has started to move on implementing obligations under the 'road map', but obviously much more still has to be done," Olmert's spokesman, Mark Regev, said. It is unclear what direct influence Blair will have on the road map judging process, though he is close to Bush. Abbas, whose authority has been limited to the West Bank since Hamas seized the Gaza Strip last June, started a security campaign late last year in Nablus, seizing weapons and arresting criminals as well as some militants. Citing what he called progress by the Palestinians, Blair said Israel "in time" should remove checkpoints and other restrictions on Palestinian travel and trade. "The single most important thing for the economy is, bit by bit, to lift the occupation," he said. But, he added: "For all sorts of reasons, we know this will take time." Hamas's armed wing claimed responsibility for Monday's suicide bombing, which killed an Israeli woman. The group said the bomber and a second attacker, killed at the scene by police, came from the southern West Bank city of Hebron. b>Related articles: EU envoy: Gaza Strip could turn into Somalia Gideon Levy / Blair go home Akiva Eldar / Barring Blair Bookmark to del.icio.us   Baghdad, Interrupted Movie star Angelina Jolie takes on Iraq as UN goodwill ambassador. Unwanted praise Hezbollah leader Nasrallah compliments on the Winograd Committee report.   1.   I wish it were so 19:55  |  Jackie 07/02/08   2.   eu/us/idf deciding again? but, folks, long, 19:55  |  bozhidar balkas 07/02/08   3.   The blind leading the blind - leading the blind... 20:16  |  bat yam 07/02/08   4.   Reduce checkpoints now.... 20:46  |  Eyal 07/02/08   5.   worse than imperialism 20:51  |  Faris 07/02/08   6.   Most important thing is END of incitement by PA 21:05  |  David 07/02/08   7.   Blair is the eternal optimist. 21:06  |  SystemF 07/02/08   8.   Blair who? 21:11  |  Clickfool 07/02/08   9.   Interesting. The missles continue to fall... 21:16  |  Mike 07/02/08   10.   I dont know about Blair but I havnt seen the signs 21:17  |  zionist forever 07/02/08   11.   Blair-Antisemite Papist 21:18  |  Brod 07/02/08   12.   Blair? 21:24  |  Jimmie 07/02/08   13.   Envoy Blair 21:28  |  J. Berg 07/02/08   14.   Jew-HATERS WICKED LIE of Occupation. Return STOLEN JEWISH LAND 21:32  |  Linda Rivera 07/02/08   15.   Jew-HATERS WICKEDLY Ignore Justice for One Million JEWISH REFUGEE 21:33  |  Linda Rivera 07/02/08   16.   Jew-HATERS DECEIVE for Expansionist Islam. Already ARAB Pal State 21:35  |  Linda Rivera 07/02/08   17.   NO-GO ZONES for non-Muslims in Britain (& across Europe) (1) 21:38  |  Linda Rivera 07/02/08   18.   Dear Mr. Blair.... 21:39  |  Esther 07/02/08   19.   Israel Should First Protect Its Citizens! 21:39  |  Norman F Birnberg 07/02/08   20.   NO-GO ZONES for non-Muslims in Britain (& across Europe) (2) 21:41  |  Linda Rivera 07/02/08   21.   Mideast envoy Blair says PA starting to abide by `road map` 21:48  |  Tony Silver 07/02/08   22.   EVIL PeaceProcess REQUIRES JEWS to ACCEPT Being Maimed & MURDERED 21:51  |  Linda Rivera 07/02/08   23.   Not now, not ever 22:07  |  Natallie Durson 07/02/08   24.   Lunacy, Absolute Lunacy 22:12  |  Tod Zuckerman 07/02/08   25.   How out of touch with reality on the ground can a person be??? 22:23  |  Jew 07/02/08   26.   what about? 22:32  |  erez 07/02/08   27.   NO to Blair`s Intrusions 22:41  |  Brod 07/02/08   28.   so impressed 22:45  |  al 07/02/08   29.   Tony one question 23:00  |  Gee 07/02/08   30.   Clickfool who? 23:30  |  Jack Jordan 07/02/08   31.   Clickfool, U.K. denies prominent Muslim cleric visa (Reuters) 23:34  |  Figaro 07/02/08   32.   A BLAIRing FRAUD. He fits facts to suit his selfish agenda 23:43  |  Pavel 07/02/08   33.   blair 23:59  |  BERNARD 07/02/08   34.   Re Natallie #23 00:06  |  Esther 08/02/08   35.   Linda Rivera 00:26  |  flimflam 08/02/08   36.   Where was Blair when PA didn`t abide by road map? 00:26  |  Vittorio 08/02/08   37.   The Problem 00:27  |  Paulo 08/02/08   38.   30. "humility", Jack 00:33  |  Brit-Jew 08/02/08   39.   how does he know? the usual blair rubbish 01:00  |  v hardman 08/02/08   40.   Haaretz forgets something important 01:07  |  Steven 08/02/08   41.   You misread me , Brit-Jew 01:35  |  Jack Jordan 08/02/08   42.   I guess Tony Blair 01:44  |  Nechama 08/02/08   43.   A Very Bad Sign For The Zionists 01:51  |  Johnboy 08/02/08   44.   Apparently Blair Didn`t Hear about Dimona 02:19  |  Ruvane Yadin 08/02/08   45.   Blair`s blindness 02:23  |  noel 08/02/08   46.   Doing their part? Did they dismantle Al-Aksa yet? 02:25  |  Gili 08/02/08   47.   Paulo: Dream On 02:30  |  Brad 08/02/08   48.   Bush & Blair are both obsolete 03:14  |  * BEN JABO 08/02/08

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