Blair meets with Bush as ME tops agenda

The British prime minister arrived here Thursday and went straight to the White House for a dinner with Bush. Neither made statements but were to hold a joint press conference after their meeting Friday.

Reflecting the close relationship between the two, Blair is the first foreign leader received at the White House since Bush's re-election last week.

Their talks coincided with Arafat's funeral in Cairo, which has thrown a new spotlight on the deadlocked Middle East peace process, and the US offensive on insurgents in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

Blair faces intense domestic pressure to reap some benefits from his support for the US-led war in Iraq, and hinted before his departure that the Middle East was where he expected to find this.

"Peace in the Middle East must be the international community's highest priority," Blair said in a statement following Arafat's death.

Blair reaffirmed a call for action, saying that "the goal of a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel is one that we must continue to work tirelessly to achieve."

The United States offered some encouragement in Bush's statement of condolences after the death of the iconic Palestinian leader who had been marginalised during the Bush presidency.

"The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history," Bush said.

"For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbours.

"During the period of transition that is ahead, we urge all in the region and throughout the world to join in helping make progress toward these goals and toward the ultimate goal of peace," Bush added.

Many questions remain about the US attitude so long as a new Palestinian leadership is not in place.

But on the plane to Washington, Blair's spokesman said the prime minister saw a "new era" for the peace process.

"There is a moment and that moment is to send a signal to the region we are serious about" peace in the Middle East, he told journalists.

"If the world sees president Bush and the prime minister saying they are very serious on this issue and we are committed to it, that helps," the spokesman said.