Blair Defended Business Deals

British Prime Minister Tony Blair fought off criticism over allegation of improperly aiding the ruling Labor Party donors` sales of fighter jets. He was criticized earlier for a `Steel Gate` that he provided a special favor to a company, which had donated political fund to the Labor Party.

After his visit to U.S. President George W. Bush`s Texas ranch, Prime Minister Blair flew to Prague for a meeting with Czech Prime Minster Milos Zeman. He and Zeman held summit talks on enlarging the European Union, but he also discussed the Czech government`s planned purchase of 24 JAS-39 Gripen jets from an Anglo-Swedish consortium that includes BAE Systems, a defense industry company that has donated political fund to the Labor Party.

Tim Collins, Spokesman of the Conservative Party, renewed calls for an independent scrutiny that, “Once again, the government in general and the Prime Minister in particular is found to have undertaken extraordinary efforts on behalf of an organization which has done favors for the Labor Party.” Earlier to this allegation, Mr. Blair awarded 32 million pound (about 60 billion won) contract for producing emergency smallpox vaccine for 20 million people to Powderject owned by another Labor contributor. The British government decided to increase the amount of smallpox vaccine it keeps on hand when it reviewed the threat to Britain of possible bio-terrorist attacks after Sept. 11.

Blair was also criticized earlier this year for writing a letter to the Romanian Prime Minister supporting a bid by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal to buy Sidex, Romanian state-owned steel firm. Mittal had donated 125,000 pound (250 billion won) to the Labor Party around last year`s general election.

Jei-Gyoon Park phark@donga.com