Downing St trashes diplomats

Ministers today launched a staunch defence of Tony Blair's handling of Iraq and the Middle East after an unprecedented attack by more than 50 former senior diplomats.

They underlined the strength of the Prime Minister's support for George Bush in the face of startling criticism of the "doomed" policy.

Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien dismissed the ex-diplomats' letter as a "cry of frustration" and said it was "based on a false premise".

Downing Street aides were finalising a fightback strategy and stressed the Prime Minister's belief in the drive for "stability, peace and freedom" in the Middle East.

But the vigour of the attack by the ex-diplomats, signed by some of the most senior envoys of the last generation, took No 10 by surprise.

It suggested Mr Blair's policy of wholehearted backing for President Bush was unpopular with serving diplomats, who are unable to criticise the Government in public, and called for a " fundamental reassessment" of Britain's policy towards both the US and the Middle East.

The letter, sent to a news agency, was another blow to Mr Blair's authority in the wake of a Cabinet split over his promise of a referendum on the European constitution.

He has already suffered deep unpopularity within Labour ranks over Iraq. The recent White House press conference, which saw Mr Blair support Mr Bush's backing for an Israeli plan for a partial withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories, is thought to have spurred the former diplomats.

The former ambassadors, high commissioners and governors include several exenvoys to Iraq and the Middle East. Mr O'Brien, whose responsibilities include the Middle East, told Radio 4's Today programme: "In many ways this is a cry of frustration that things are not going as quickly as we would like. I was not quite entirely sure where they were coming from. It was based on a false premise to some extent."

There had been no change in government policy on the Palestinian question, Mr O'Brien added.

Labour MP Louise Ellman, a leading supporter of Israel, said the former diplomats were "armchair critics" waging an "organised attack on the Prime Minister". She added: "It does not offer a single constructive way forward. It's remarkable that a letter like this does not mention the campaign of terror being waged against Israel by Palestinian sources."

There were also claims today that the signatories were all pro-Arab figures colloquially known undiplomatic circles as "camels".

The letter claimed that the group had "watched with deepening concern the policies which you have followed on the Arab-Israel problem and Iraq, in close cooperation with the United States".

The diplomats accused Mr Blair of merely "waiting in vain" for American leadership on the "road map" for Middle East peace.

They added: "Our dismay at this backward step is heightened by the fact that you yourself seem to have endorsed it, abandoning the principles which for nearly four decades have guided international efforts to restore peace in the Holy Land...

"This abandonment of principle comes at a time when rightly or wrongly we are portrayed throughout the Arab and Muslim world as partners in an illegal and brutal occupation in Iraq.

"We share your view that the British Government has an interest in working as closely as possible with the United States on both these related issues, and in exerting real influence as a loyal ally.

"We believe that the need for such influence is now a matter of the highest urgency. If that is unacceptable or unwelcome there is no case for supporting policies which are doomed to failure."

Sir Menzies Campbell, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman, urged: "The Prime Minister would be well advised to take account of their criticisms."