Blair sets out on Middle East diplomatic mission

Tony Blair, who is on a three–day visit to the Middle East, today met Sultan Qaboos of Oman and visited British troops taking part in a military exercise in the country.

Oman has not commented publicly on the US–British strikes nor has the sultanate, which has openly cooperated with the United States and Britain in the past, said whether it would allow its bases to be used as a launching pad for those attacks.

Last week, Blair visited Pakistan, Russia and India. He has also had meetings with European leaders and yesterday met President Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates in Geneva.

Mr Blair is expected to leave Oman tomorrow, although officials rrefused to reveal his next destination.

An official in the Sultan's office said the two leaders discussed their country's long military relationship, the Palestinian–Israeli conflict and the situation in Iraq.

Mr Blair was expected to travel later to a desert encampment about 250 miles south of the capital, Muscat, to review the British troops taking part in the Swift Sword 2 military exercises with Omani forces.

More than 23,000 British troops will join 14,000 Omani soldiers in the exercises, which are due to begin on Sunday involving 111 warplanes, 27 warships and one aircraft carrier, many of them British.

There has been speculation that some of the British forces could be used in the strikes against targets in Afghanistan.

Hundreds of Omani students protested this week against the Afghanistan attacks and called on their government to prevent any strikes being launched from Omani soil.