15 January 2005	Saturday	04 Zilhaj 1425

RAMALLAH: Tony Blair is being forced to rethink the agenda for his proposed Middle East conference in London after Palestinians questioned its worth and accused him of being pro- Israeli.

Although the Palestinians will not join the Israelis in boycotting the conference, and have welcomed a British promise to draft a fresh agenda, politicians and officials in Ramallah, the West Bank headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, continue to be sceptical.

The authority raised its concerns with the British consul general in the eastern sector of Al Quds, Dr John Jenkins, and with Downing Street. Mr Blair is to send his foreign policy adviser, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, to Ramallah for further discussions with the Palestinians before the end of the month (JAN).

A spokesman for the consul general's office said: "The content is still up for discussion." Qais Abdul Karim, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization central committee, said on Thursday: "I do not think the Palestinians are in a position to boycott anything, but I do not think the conference is politically meaningful. It will be attended with very little interest or hope on the Palestinian side."

Mr Blair announced the international conference, scheduled for March 1-2, when he visited Al Quds and the West Bank last month. He originally wanted a full-scale conference in London with both Israel and the Palestinians attending. But the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, refused to send a representative.

Instead, the conference was downgraded to one dealing solely with the Palestinians. Mahmoud Abbas, the newly elected president, promised Mr Blair in Ramallah that the Palestinians would attend, though the following day, the prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, expressed disappointment that it was not to be a peace conference as promised.

Annoyance with Mr Blair has since grown. The Palestinians accuse him of having adopted an Israeli agenda by suggesting the conference should concentrate on reform of Palestinian institutions, especially its security services, as a first step to negotiations with Israel. They accept a need for reform, but not as a precondition for peace negotiations.

The mood was not helped by their belief that Elliot Abrahams, George Bush's Middle East coordinator, privately dismissed the conference as window-dressing. The British have since assured the Palestinians this is not Mr Abrahams's view.

An official in the PLO, who asked for anonymity, said: "We will have to jump through lots of hoops and have nothing to show for it. It is all about the Palestinians having to reform their judiciary, economy and politics, not about the real cause of the conflict, the Israeli occupation."

Samia Bamieh, responsible for European affairs in the foreign ministry, said that Britain had echoed Israel in suggesting reform as a precondition for negotiations. "There was a misunderstanding. He [Blair] was talking about the "rehabilitation" of the authority in order to go into the peace process. This has negative connotations. The leadership does not need "rehabilitation" to enter the peace process."

The authority is seeking a significant change of emphasis away from the Israeli agenda, to focus instead on helping Palestinians build their own state. It wants the conference held back-to-back with one of donor countries, to ensure a flow of money to help improve daily life. -Dawn/The Guardian News Service.