Blair and Rice talk West Asia over breakfast

London, Oct 7: British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met over breakfast today to discuss the West Asia after her tour of the region this week, a spokeswoman for Blair's office said.

She said the breakfast was private and not intended as a follow-up to Friday night's ministerial meeting of six world powers that agreed to discuss further steps to pressure Iran into halting its nuclear programme.

''It was a general discussion about the West Asia so Iran was not the main focus,'' she said after the meeting at Blair's Chequers country residence.

''The Prime Minister did say when he made his visit to the West Asia that he would be going back, so it is right that he talks to Condoleezza (Rice) when she has just got back from the region herself.'' Rice visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Iraq on her tour.

Blair has offered staunch support to the American strategy in Iraq which is threatened by sectarian conflict and insurgency three years after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

REUTERS

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