MIDDLE EAST:Less than a month after leaving office, Tony Blair returned to a new and high-profile international role yesterday as envoy for the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers, which insisted there would be no dealings with the Islamist movement Hamas.
Statements in Lisbon by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and the Portuguese foreign minister for the EU, underlined the huge difficulty in making real progress towards peace when a key Palestinian player is excluded. The UN and Russia make up the rest of the Quartet.
"Hamas, I think, knows what is expected for international respectability," said Ms Rice, alluding to demands that it recognise Israel, end violence and accept existing peace agreements.
Mr Blair's job is to prepare the Palestinians for statehood by helping improve governance, build institutions and co-ordinate aid. But that is hard to do while the Gaza Strip, home to 1.4 million Palestinians, is cut off from the West Bank, where Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement rules.
Mr Blair was warmly endorsed by Ms Rice, though there was no sign of agreement to expand his limited terms of reference. "This is a very skilled, respected, historic figure. . . who is absolutely dedicated to democracy, to building a better Middle East," she said, making clear that his role was "complementary".
The talks also involved the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, and the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov.
The Quartet was expected to endorse George Bush's call for an international Middle East peace conference, expected to be held at the UN in September, though this has had a lukewarm response so far.
Mr Blair is due in Jerusalem on Monday and will meet Palestinian leaders in Ramallah. His first visit is likely to coincide with a rare joint mission by the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan. These countries have peace treaties with Israel, but they are representing the 21-member Arab League, which wants Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders in return for full peace.
Earlier this week Mr Blair held preparatory talks in Brussels, Rome and Madrid.
Israel is delighted he is getting involved but Arab reactions range from sceptical to openly hostile.
"George Bush wanted to reward Blair for his hostility to the Arabs," said Galal Nassar in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly. "In backing Bush's nominee the Quartet has endorsed a disastrous choice."
Columnist Rami Khouri wrote in Beirut's Daily Star: "If there is an award for the combined negative credibility of an institution plus an individual, the Quartet and Blair should be its first recipients. Appointing Tony Blair as special envoy for Arab-Israeli peace is something like appointing the Emperor Nero to be the chief fireman of Rome."
- (Guardian service)