Any solution in Iraq must be part of a broader Middle East strategy, British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a US panel on Tuesday, while warning that Iran poses a 'strategic threat to the region'.
Blair also stressed that the Israel-Palestine conflict was the top priority in the region, because extremists were exploiting it to radicalise moderate Muslims, a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
In a videoconference with the so-called Iraq Study Group in Washington, Blair also called for Iran and Syria to be presented with a "strategic choice," she said.
"He told the (panel) .... that what he believed was needed was a plan for Iraq and a plan for the region as a whole, that firstly focused on resolving the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians," the spokeswoman told AFP.
The British leader's comments echoed a keynote speech he made on Monday in which he called for a change of strategy and pressed Iran to support Western efforts to quell the relentless bloodshed.
The US panel, led by former US secretary of state James Baker, on Monday heard from US President George W. Bush, who defied growing calls for the West to engage with Syria and Iran.
Bush appeared in fighting form in his testimony, insisting that Iran must halt its nuclear program, while Syria must get its hands off Lebanon and stop shielding extremists before any talks can begin.
The United States accuses Syria and Iran of fomenting instability in Iraq and allowing insurgents to cross their borders.
"It's very important for the world to unite with one common voice to say to the Iranians that, if you choose to continue forward, you'll be isolated," Bush said in Washington. "There has to be a consequence for their intransigence."
According to the Downing Street spokeswoman, Blair warned on Tuesday that the Israel-Palestine conflict was being exploited by extremists around the Middle East -- including in Iran, which he described as a strategic threat to the region -- to radicalise moderate Muslims.
"The way to deal with Iran was not to back down on our demands but to take away their ability to exploit Muslim opinion and to confront both it and Syria with a strategic choice," she said.
This choice was that they could either be "part of a solution or face isolation," she added.
Blair said the Iraqi government was aware of the threat from Iran.
"The prime minister also said the Iraqi government recognised that what happened outside the country was as important as developments inside Iraq," she said.
"The biggest single factor in getting moderate Muslim countries to support Iraq would be progress on Israel and Palestine as part of an overall strategy for the Mideast."
Pressure for a change of course in Iraq has been fuelled by the Republicans' defeat in US mid-term elections, which led to the departure of defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and left Bush more vulnerable in Congress.
Both Bush and Blair face criticism that they are lame ducks: Blair because he is set to stand down next year, and Bush because he faces the last two years of his presidency fighting a Democrat-led Congress.
In that context, some observers question whether they can ultimately do anything to stem the rising tide of violence.
"They are in serious trouble in Iraq, they have to recognise it," said Rosemary Hollis, director of research on the Middle East at Chatham House, the London think-tank.
"They, Blair, Bush, seem to be trying convince themselves that their policies have not failed."