Iraq violence a disaster: Blair

British Prime Minister Tony Blair accepted on Friday that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake.

The admission came during an interview with Sir David Frost on the new Al Jazeera English-language Arabic TV channel.

Sir David said that the Western intervention in Iraq had "so far been pretty much of a disaster".

Blair agreed saying, "It has, but you see what I say to people is why is it difficult in Iraq?

"It's not difficult because of some accident in planning, it's difficult because there's a deliberate strategy - al-Qaeda with Sunni insurgents on one hand, Iranian-backed elements with Shia militias on the other - to create a situation in which the will of the majority for peace is displaced by the will of the minority for war."

Downing Street said that what Blair said had been misconstrued and it was not an admission that violence in Iraq had been a disaster.

A spokeswoman said: "He was simply acknowledging the question in a polite way before going on to explain his view.
"To portray it as some kind of admission is completely disingenuous."

Blair also told Frost that he believed Iran could play a constructive part in the Middle East peace process.
He said: "We have to go out there, ourselves and the Americans, and say we are not against you because we believe we should decide who governs Iran or we should decide who governs Syria.

"What we're saying to you is very clear ... If you are prepared to be part of the solution there is a partnership available to you, but at the moment ... you are behaving in such a way that makes a partnership impossible."