Attack by ex-diplomats adds to Blair's woes

Departing utterly from the usual measured language of the Foreign Office, the British diplomats put their names to a joint letter urging Blair to use his influence on the United States to secure a change of tack.

"We believe that the need for such influence is now a matter of the highest urgency," wrote the signatories, the vast majority of whom were ex-ambassadors, many with considerable experience in the Middle East.

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"If that is unacceptable or unwelcome there is no case for supporting policies which are doomed to failure," said the often extremely blunt letter, also released to the British media.

The diplomats said that their catalyst for action had been the seeming acquiescence of Blair to US President George W. Bush's backing for a unilateral Middle East peace plan instigated by the Israeli government.

The British prime minister has insisted that this does not spell the end for the stalled internationally-brokered peace roadmap for the region, but the diplomats disagreed.

"Our dismay at this backward step is heightened by the fact that you yourself seem to have endorsed it, abandoning the principles which for nearly four decades have guided international efforts to restore peace in the Holy Land...," the letter said.

The diplomats had equally harsh words about the US and British roles in the occupation of Iraq, especially since widespread violence erupted in recent weeks.