CAIRO: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair kicked off his role yesterday as the Middle East Quartet envoy for peace in Lisbon, Portugal. He met with leaders and representatives of the Quartet, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, EU Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and talks were held over the future framework for the peace initiative. Although special envoy for the Quartet as a whole, Blair's mandate is restricted to assisting Palestinians develop their infrastructure and economy, a role strenuously defended by Rice, who said that it was "something that is completely complimentary and if we all work together, and there is plenty to do, perhaps we can finally deliver. Rice added that "there is a very good sense that his dedication now to helping the Palestinians build the institutions of statehood, to move forward on economic development and to press forward on helping to create a strong Palestinian partner is very well-timed as we try to move forward toward the establishment of a state. The appointment of Blair was met with much skepticism in the region, considering his close ties and unwavering support for the Bush administration when he was British Prime Minister, his active role in the Iraq war and pro-Israeli, pro-American stance. "I don t believe Mr Blair has any chance at all of pushing forward the peace process, syndicated columnist specializing in Middle East affairs Linda Heard told The Daily Star Egypt. "Frankly given Mr Blair's unabashed and unashamed sycophancy towards the Bush administration, whose wishes he consistently put before the interests of his own country, the only job he deserved was flipping burgers in the nearest McDonalds where he could wrap himself in the American flag to his heart s content without giving anyone anything more than indigestion, she added. Heard also said that the current situation in both Israel and Palestine would make any peace efforts that much harder. "This is too little too late and, in any case, there are no peace partners, she said "Olmert with the lowest approval rating of any sitting Israeli Prime Minister isn t trusted by is people and neither is Mahmoud Abbas, who is viewed by most Palestinians as too cosy with the West, while the caretaker Palestinian PM has been appointed not elected. "Worse, Heard added, "the party that was overwhelmingly elected to represent the Palestinian people have been labelled terrorist and have been excluded and demonized. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack downplayed expectations of any big announcements from the meeting. He told reporters, "I m not sure that this is going to be a meeting with any new announcements. "But there s a lot that has happened over the past couple of weeks and it s a good opportunity for them to get together, take stock of what has happened ... as well as to look ahead and chart a course out for the next several months, he added. The meeting was described as coming at a "crucial time by the UN, as the Palestinian territories remain split after clashes last month. The Gaza Strip is under Hamas control, while Fatah controls the West Bank. The West and moderate Arab countries have weighed their support behind Fatah and its president Mahmoud Abbas, recognizing him and his faction as the legitimate rulers of the Palestinian territories. Blair is due to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next week. It will be his first visit to the region as peace envoy. Key Words: Middle East Quartet, Tony Blair, Condoleezza Rice, Peace Envoy, Israel, Fatah, Hamas
