SYDNEY, March 2 : Oil prices surged on Monday and shares slid as military conflict in the Middle East looked set to last weeks, sending investors flocking to the relative safety of the dollar, gold and bonds. Brent jumped 7.5 per cent to $78.34 a barrel, while U.S. crude climbed 7.3 per cent to $71.88 per barrel. Gold rose 1.5 per cent to $5,358 an ounce. [O/R] Military strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran showed no sign of lessening, while the Arab nation responded with missile