CAIRO: Press reports claimed that exiting British PM Tony Blair will be formally confirmed as the Middle East Envoy for the Quartet - composed of the European Union, UN, US, and Russia - today in Jerusalem, though at time of press Blair had not confirmed the rumors. In an article for Belfast Times entitled "How can Lord Blair possibly be given this peace, prominent British journalist Robert Fisk bemoans the likely decision, saying "I remain overwhelmed that this vain, deceitful man, this proven liar, a trumped-up lawyer who has the blood of thousands of Arab men, women and children on his hands is contemplating being 'our' Middle East envoy. Fisk predicts "there will be appeals for restraint 'on all sides,' endless calls for 'moderation,' none for justice (which is all the people of the Middle East have been pleading for, for a 100 years). On the other hand, Israeli leaders have hailed the appointment, which was prompted by US President Bush. Political Science professor at Cairo University Ahmed Thabet told The Daily Star Egypt that both the position and British representation had been "needed for a long time, since the Quartet "lacks a continuous link in areas of ongoing conflict. Still he feared the position would become symbolic, with Blair simply "mitigating, or "conveying the points of views between the Arabs and Israel. Thabet says the Quartet lacks the "moral and political capacity to improve the Israeli/Palestinian situation and to stop Israeli aggression. Blair himself is widely considered pro-Israeli. In his early days, he joined the Labor Friends of Israel and met good friend Lord Levy, a major fundraiser for Jewish and Israeli causes, who he later appointed as his personal envoy to the Middle East. Thabet added that the US, having realized it has lost legitimacy in the Arab world, will increasingly act through the Quartet. In a report leaked to the BBC, former UN envoy to the Mideast Alvaro de Soto expressed his lost faith in the Quartet's ability to deal with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, writing The Quartet took all pressure off Israel. With all the focus on the failings of Hamas, the Israeli settlement enterprise and barrier construction has continued unabated. He blamed the tendency that exists among US policy-makers... to cower before any hint of Israeli displeasure and to pander shamelessly before Israeli-linked audiences, and criticized both Palestinian leadership, and Israeli policies, which he says were perversely designed to encourage the continued action by Palestinian militants . Blair, 54, leaves office Wednesday after 10 years in power, to be replaced by ex-finance Labor Minister Gordon Brown. His term in office was tarnished in his final years through his much-criticized alliance with President Bush, for his role in the Iraq war, and for his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Israel s conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon last summer.
