Former US President Jimmy Carter

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter says he is "extremely disappointed" with Tony Blair for what he says is the British prime minister's failure to constrain President Bush's policies toward Iraq.

Mr. Carter, an outspoken critic of the 2003 U.S.-led Iraq invasion, was quoted Sunday in Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper. He said he thought that Mr. Blair could have had a moderating influence on Washington, "and he has not."

Mr. Blair has been President Bush's closest international ally on Iraq, and Britain has the second largest contingent of troops in the country.

Mr. Carter said people in many countries he has visited equate U.S. policy with British interests, and said that U.S. popularity in moderate countries like Egypt and Jordan is currently less than five percent.

The 81-year-old Mr. Carter, the 39th U.S. president, served from 1977 to 1981.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.