MIL/NYT, Jun 21, 2007. Author:
Washington: June 21, 2007 (Thursday). The United States is facing a problem to find out a suitable envoy to the Middle East to represent the diplomatic “quartet” of world powers. They are pressing Tony Blair of Britain to become a special envoy to represent the cause.
If Tony accepts it, this appointment is likely to be the most visible attempt at laying the groundwork for a Palestinian state since President Clinton wrangled with Yasir Arafat and Rhud Barak during the waning hours of his administration in 2001.
If the proposal, endorsed by President Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, goes forward, and if Mr. Blair, who leaves office next week, accepts, he would work on behalf of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia Russia to help the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, build the institutions and apparatus necessary for a viable state.
The proposal shows the renewed urgency in dealing with the changed political landscape brought on by the takeover of Gaza by Hamas. The power shift there has focused efforts on the West Bank, where Mr. Abbas and Fatah retain control.
European and American officials said that so far, the only grumbling about the possible Blair appointment has come from Russia, which has had contentious relations with Britain of late, including the charges regarding the poisoning of Alexander V. Litvinenko, a former K.G.B. officer and a Kremlin critic who died in London in November.
But diplomats on both sides of the Atlantic said that if Mr. Blair wanted the job, it was unlikely that Russia would seek to block the appointment.
