It appears that the new Middle East peace envoy is facing an uphill battle. The title awarded to Blair looks like it will be entirely meaningless.
Tony Blair was told by the United States yesterday that he had no authority to tackle political negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians as he spent his first full day as special envoy to the Middle East.
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, insisted that America would retain leadership of the “political track” while Mr Blair would work on raising funds for the Palestinians, as well as building their economy and infrastructure.
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, insisted that America would retain leadership of the “political track” while Mr Blair would work on raising funds for the Palestinians, as well as building their economy and infrastructure.
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While she couched her comments amid lavish praise for Mr Blair, it amounted to a diplomatic snub after his representatives had earlier made clear he wanted to play a key role in peace negotiations.
It’s surprising that the devoted Bush poodle is being snubbed. It appears that the Bush administration is so opposed to the possibility of peace that it wants to prevent even Blair from making progress inadvertently.