UK's Blair heads to Turkey for WAsia peace drive

LONDON, Dec 15 (Reuters) British Prime Minister Tony Blair headed to Turkey today en route to West Asia, hoping to recruit moderate Muslim states in a drive to unblock Israeli-Palestinian deadlock and tackle broader tensions.

Blair, who has set great store on reviving West Asia peace process before he resigns next year, wants to consult Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on ideas for getting Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Blair believes a Middle East settlement is critical to defusing the violence in Iraq, a conflict that looks set to dominate the legacy of his 10-year premiership.

''This is about engaging with moderate Islamic countries to get their support for progress in West Asia,'' a Blair aide said before the trip.

Talks on forming a Palestinian unity government are currently deadlocked between President Mahmoud Abbas and a Hamas-led coalition that the West has boycotted, cutting off aid to the Palestinians, because of its refusal to recognise Israel.

As Blair set out, forces loyal to the two factions traded fire in Gaza and the West Bank.

Blair wants to signal to the Palestinians what political and financial support they can expect if they can form a government that Israel can negotiate with. He is keen to enlist moderate regional states to send the same message, aides said.

Blair would also like to use an ''arc of moderation'' in the region to counter threats from states such as Iran and to help stem the Iraqi insurgency, officials said.

But they cautioned against expecting sudden breakthroughs: ''There's not a lever we are suddenly expected to pull on this trip,'' his spokesman said.

Sceptical West Asia analysts said Blair's clout had been diminished by the Iraq war, his refusal to urge an immediate Israeli ceasefire on Hezbollah guerrillas in the Lebanon war that ended in August, and his imminent departure from office.

Arab leaders feel Washington calls the shots in West Asia.

''I don't see (Blair) as having sufficient leverage to make a significant difference,'' said Rosemary Hollis of British think-tank Chatham House.

An Ankara-based EU diplomat said Blair wanted to exploit Erdogan's increasing clout in West Asia. ''Turkey has under Erdogan taken a more active step in getting involved in regional politics. Turkey wants stable neighbours,'' he said.

Blair also wants to stress Britain's support for Turkey's membership of the European Union after the bloc decided this week to partially freeze its accession talks because of Ankara's failure to normalise trade with EU member Cyprus.

Officials described Blair's West Asia tour as ''comprehensive'' but kept advance details of his itinerary secret for security reasons.

REUTERS SY HS1907