Prime Minister Tony Blair has sent out an appeal to Iran and Syria to become partners of the West in the search for peace in the Middle East.
Mr Blair rejected as "completely absurd" any suggestion that his readiness to work with two countries until recently described by the US as part of the "axis of evil" amounted to "appeasement".
But he said the door was open for both countries to play a constructive role in resolving the problems of the region if they are ready to give up support for terrorism and abide by their international obligations on issues like Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Speaking on Al Jazeera's new English-language channel, Mr Blair said he had a message for both Tehran and Damascus: "If you are prepared to be part of the solution, there is a partnership available to you.
"But at the moment - and this is particularly so in respect of what Iran is doing in supporting terrorism throughout the Middle East and acting in breach of its nuclear weapons obligations - you are behaving in such a way that makes such a partnership impossible."
Mr Blair was speaking to veteran broadcaster Sir David Frost on the first edition of his flagship Frost Over the World programme on Al Jazeera International, which launched on Wednesday this week.
His appearance is a major fillip for the Qatar-based network, which was once denounced as propaganda by ex-US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and is perhaps best known in the UK for broadcasting tapes from Osama bin Laden and al Qaida.
