JERUSALEM: Former British prime minister Tony Blair is standing down as the Quartet representative in the Middle East, the organisation said yesterday, after eight years struggling to break ground in peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians.
Officials close to the Quartet of the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia, said Blair, 62, would continue to play an informal role in trying to forge a two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israel.
Blair failed to gain the full trust of either the Palestinians or Israel, which has always kept its closest contacts with the United States via the secretary of state.
A senior Palestinian official, Hanan Ashrawi, was dismissive of Blair, saying that his departure had been anticipated. She said he had had a minimal impact on Quartet diplomacy and shown “bias toward the Israeli side. REUTERS
