Middle East mediators held talks today that could clear the way for the appointment of Tony Blair as their envoy to try to revive peace prospects after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip.
Diplomats close to the so-called Quartet powers - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - said Mr Blair, who steps down as Britain's prime minister on Wednesday, was likely to be named to the top peacemaking position soon.
Representatives from the Quartet, meeting at the US consulate in Jerusalem, were expected to hammer out details about the role the new envoy would play as Washington pushes Israel to commit to talks on parameters of a Palestinian state.
Tony Blair is due to step down as prime minister on Wednesday
Some European diplomats have questioned Mr Blair's ability to garner broad Palestinian and Arab public support because of his leading role in the Iraq war and his close relationship with US President George W. Bush.
Many Arabs see the Bush administration as biased against the Palestinians. Mr Blair, who steps down after 10 years in power, has frequently urged Mr Bush to take a more assertive role in trying to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I think anybody who cares about greater peace and stability in the world knows that a lasting and enduring resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian issue is essential and, as I have said on many occasions, I would do whatever I could to help such a resolution come about," Mr Blair told reporters in London.
Mr Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would support Mr Blair's appointment as Quartet envoy, aides said.
Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said that "the experience of our people with Blair was bad". Mr Blair's appointment as Quartet envoy "may even make things worse", he added.
The Quartet's previous envoy, former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, focused largely on economic issues. He resigned last year in frustration, in large part over Israel's unwillingness to comply with US-brokered agreements.
Bush administration officials first floated the idea of appointing Mr Blair to the envoy post in private meetings earlier this year, long before Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip more than a week ago, Western diplomats said.
Mr Abbas responded to Gaza's takeover by sacking the Hamas-led government and forming an emergency cabinet in the West Bank. That has divided the Palestinian territories into a Hamas-controlled Gaza and a larger, Fatah-dominated West Bank.