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In the summer sunshine and pine trees of Kananaskis, deep in the
Canadian Rockies, Tony Blair and George W. Bush were circling each other warily yesterday.
The intimacy and warmth that characterised their meeting in Texas this
spring was looking distinctly strained, as Britain reiterated its
opposition to the US president's call for the removal of Yassir Arafat,
the Palestinian leader, and insisted the Palestinians should be allowed to
elect their own leader.
Mr Blair is anxious to dismiss suggestions of a
big rift in the relationship. He shares the president's view, expressed
earlier this week, that Mr Arafat has become a significant obstacle to
restarting the peace process in the Middle East. But Mr Blair lobbied hard against the fundamental implication of
Mr Bush's speech - that the US will only use its
diplomatic muscle in the region if and when the Palestinian leader is
replaced.
For Mr Blair, the president's decision to tilt
towards the Richard Cheney/ Donald Rumsfeld hard line also marks a
personal setback. In the months since September 11, Mr Blair has prided himself on his capacity to influence the
US administration - particularly over Iraq. The sense that Mr Blair had leverage in Washington increased the prime
minister's influence in debates with fellow European leaders.
At last week's Seville summit Mr Blair was
instrumental in persuading other European Union leaders not to say
anything on the Middle East that might be seen as putting pressure on Mr
Bush ahead of this week's statement. His European
colleagues may henceforth be less inclined to follow Mr Blair's lead.
It is all very different from Crawford, Texas. Just three months ago,
Mr Bush and Mr Blair were
joking about their similar tastes in toothpaste at the president's county
ranch. They were best buddies, lingering over a weekend together with
their wives, and inseparable in the war against terrorism being waged in
Afghanistan.
British officials even suggested President Bush's religious commitment was a welcome relief after
the strains placed on the US-UK relationship as Mr Blair voiced his support for the then president Bill
Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
Mr Blair's apparent closeness to the US
president angered many in his own party, who criticised him for joining Mr
Bush in sabre-rattling against Iraq.
Now, though, it seems there is a limit to how far the British leader is
prepared to go. While September 11 cemented friendship between the two,
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is threatening to push them apart.
Before Mr Bush became US president in 2000, he
had never met Mr Blair or spoken to him. When he
took over, it seemed as though the transatlantic relationship had cooled.
The new US president did not share the urbane liberalism of his
predecessor, Mr Clinton, that had helped forge a bond with Mr Blair. Yet, while they are not political soulmates, the
two leaders share a pragmatic approach to foreign policy. Since September
11, they are said by government officials to have talked more regularly
over the phone than many other world leaders.
But there are persistent sources of tension. The EU-US dispute over
steel has strained relations. And, as violence spirals in the Middle East
and the US raises the pressure on Iraq, alarming allies and adversaries
with its policy stance, Mr Blair has become wary of
the possible backlash from within Labour - especially so when there is
limited evidence as yet that his privileged access to Mr Bush is bringing any increased
influence. | 