Diplomats' scathing letter to Blair

From The BBC

Inevitably the ex-diplomats have already been dismissed as "Foreign Office Arabists", in retirement, and well known for particular views of British Middle East policy.

Maybe that is because so many of them have ties to the Middle East.

From Harry's Place

Remember the 52 former UK diplomats who signed a letter to Tony Blair advising him to stop supporting America's "doomed" policies in the Middle East?

According to The Telegraph, a number of those ex-diplomats have business links to the Arab world.

About the iniator of the letter, former ambassador to Libya Oliver Miles, The Telegraph reports:

Mr Miles is the chairman and a director of the London-based MEC International, which promotes business opportunities in the Middle East. He has a 10 per cent holding in the company and although he draws no actual salary he will receive £10,000 this year in consultancy fees from the firm.

According to the company's website, MEC has been commissioned to produce reports for the Saudi Arabian Export Promotions Board and the Gulf Co-operation Council. An offshoot of the firm, called AIM, has carried out work for the government of Bahrain.

The website also lists the Arab Gulf Co-operation Council, the Arab League and the National Bank of Egypt as among MEC's clients.

More with links at Harry's site.