Little K or Big P…
One of the reasons why our reputation became so rapidly degraded in the Middle East after 1997 was the appointment of Lord Levy as the Prime Minister’s special emissary to the region. He had no power to negotiate and soon the Israelis and the Arab countries alike saw no purpose in seeing him. Everybody knew he had been given the job solely because he was the fund-raiser for the Prime Minister. Despite being given an office in the FCO, Lord Levy had no trained diplomatic skills, and never spoke in the House of Lords.
I flew with him and Robin Cook to the funeral of President Hafez al-Assad in Syria. The passenger list on board indicated the official roles of those present – he had none. I asked him directly why he was on the flight, and what followed was a truly bizarre conversation.
I am afraid that well before the invasion of Iraq, despite the best efforts of our skilled diplomats in the region, our influence was much diminished. Tony Blair’s current visit there is an embarrassment. It will take the talents of David Cameron and William Hague to rebuild our tarnished reputation in the politically most sensitive corner of our planet.