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Blair takes on hard job as Mideast envoy
Still, the outgoing British prime minister brings new credibility to international efforts to forge peace in the region, and Israeli and Palestinian officials welcomed reports Tuesday that he will represent the Quartet of Mideast mediators — the U.S., U.N., European Union and Russia.
The personable Blair is viewed as a masterful communicator, an attribute both praised and pilloried, with some critics suggesting he is style over substance. But he has the knack for knowing what to say: When Princess Diana died in a Paris car crash, he stepped before TV cameras and dubbed her the "People's Princess," capturing the mood of a mournful Britain.
But Blair is one of the rare world leaders who is considered a friend by both the Israeli and Palestinian governments.
Israelis see
him as one of the most supportive leaders on the world stage, standing by the Jewish state through years of crises and spasms of violence as other leaders piled on criticism.
Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke with Blair on Tuesday evening, calling him "a true friend" of Israel and promising full cooperation if he accepted the job as Quartet envoy, the prime minister's office said in a statement.
Many Palestinians, too, consider Blair a friendly world figure despite his close ties to the U.S. and his role in the war in Iraq.
The British leader has a long history of support for the Palestinian cause, had good relations with
the late Yasser Arafat and was one of the first Western leaders to endorse the "two-state solution," a Palestinian state living in peace next to Israel.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said: "We hope this appointment will speed efforts to resume the political process to achieve the establishment of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital."
The European Union's Mideast envoy, Marc Otte, told reporters Tuesday night in Jerusalem that Blair would bring "added value" to Mideast peacemaking. He cited Blair's "power to move people at high levels, the ability to talk to leaders in the region and outside of the region."
Statement by Condoleezza Rice: "Working with Palestinian institutions to get them ready for statehood is just extremely important," she said. "You hear a lot of people say, 'Well, where's the Palestinian partner?' This is an effort to develop the Palestinian partner."