US considering Blair for Palestine envoy
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Middle East power brokers should appoint a special envoy to lay the groundwork for a Palestinian state, Washington said, amid reports Thursday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair will take up the job after he retires this month.
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Prime Minister Tony Blair sought consensus with President Bush on Thursday to make peace in the Middle East an urgent priority, exploring whether the death of Yasser Arafat offers
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Palestinian negotiators have called on the Middle East Quartet to give the grouping&#39;s new envoy, Tony Blair, a wider role that included the responsibility for policing Israeli obligations, The Guardian reported on Thursday.
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Western powers have agreed to name outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as Middle East envoy, as a bid to revive peace prospects after Islamist Hamas's takeover of Gaza, an official in Washington said on Tuesday.
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The quartet of Middle East mediators is expected to back U.S. plans to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace moves and hear from new special envoy Tony Blair when it meets in Portugal on Thursday.
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President Bush has talked with British Prime Minister Tony Blair about taking a role as a Middle East peace envoy after he leaves office next week.
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In his new job as Mideast envoy, Tony Blair will take on a task that has bedeviled many before him &#151; a role complicated by Hamas' takeover of Gaza, the weakness of Palestinian and Israeli leaders, and animosity deepened on both sides by six years of conflict.
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The international coalition pushing for Middle East peace awaited an update Sunday from its envoy, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and considered developments after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent trip to the region.
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WASHINGTON, Jun 20 (IPS) - Reports that U.S. President George W. Bush has  asked outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair to act as the  Quartet's special envoy for Middle East peace are adding to  speculation that Washington plans to intensify peace efforts  between Israel and the Palestinians, despite last week's  takeover of Gaza by Hamas.
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Tony Blair should be given a broader role as Middle East envoy, say Palestinian negotiators.
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Investor's Business Daily - Former British PM Tony Blair kicked off his first visit to the Middle East as the international community&#39;s new envoy to the region, hoping to add momentum to fledgling peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians. During the 2-day visit, Blair planned to meet with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other top officials.
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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would very much welcome Britain&#39;s Tony Blair as a new Middle East envoy, a spokeswoman said on Friday amid growing speculation he could be up for the job.
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Leaders of the Middle East Quartet on Thursday met Tony Blair in his new role as the group&#39;s special envoy, with the United States insistent on taking the lead in the search for peace.
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Arabs said on Thursday they doubted former British Prime Minister Tony Blair could succeed as Middle East peace envoy because of his unpopularity and because he is too close to Israel and the United States.
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JERUSALEM Palestinian leaders have outlined plans to persuade visiting American envoys to help ensure smooth elections to replace Yasser Arafat.
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Senior Palestinian officials aspiring to succeed Yasser Arafat might have thought that their main obstacle would be Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon or his closest ally, the United States.
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JERICHO, West Bank  - Middle East envoy Tony Blair, seeking to bolster Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking efforts, said on Wednesday it was critical to expand the capabilities of Palestinian security forces.