British Prime Minister Tony Blair is flying out to Washington DC, USA for urgent talks with President Bush on the Middle East crisis.
The visit to the White House comes as pressure continues to increase on the UK and US to demand an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Blair has also come under escalating pressure as claims emerged that US planes were given permission to use a Scottish airport to transport bombs to Israel; which has sparked anger among Cabinet members. Backbench Labour MPs are now increasingly urging Mr Blair to put aside his refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire.
The UK government has stated that it wants to achieve a lasting peace, not something which only stands for a few days.
