This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/6911205.stm

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
Envoy Blair arrives in Mid-East Envoy Blair on mission to Israel
(about 5 hours later)
Tony Blair has arrived in Jordan at the start of his first visit to the Middle East as special envoy to the region. Tony Blair is beginning a two-day visit to Israel on his first mission as special envoy to the Middle East.
The former PM, whose general mandate involves trying to build foundations for a Palestinian state, will also visit Israel and the West Bank. Earlier, the former UK prime minister met Jordan's foreign minister in Amman.
Last week, he said he hoped momentum could be regained in the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Israel has welcomed Mr Blair's visit, but the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has accused him of bias, and warned him not to ignore them.
He will act on behalf of the Quartet of Middle East negotiators: the European Union, United Nations, US and Russia. Mr Blair's mandate from the Quartet of Middle East negotiators involves trying to strengthen Palestinian institutions, but he cannot negotiate a peace deal.
The Quartet is made up of the European Union, United Nations, US and Russia.
Last week, Mr Blair said he hoped momentum could be regained in the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
But Mr Blair's mandate is limited, and many Palestinians are sceptical he can make a difference, correspondents say.But Mr Blair's mandate is limited, and many Palestinians are sceptical he can make a difference, correspondents say.
He is expected to meet Israel's foreign and defence ministers as well as a top American diplomat in Jerusalem on Monday before talks on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem and with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
Big issuesBig issues
Mr Blair's remit is to encourage reform, economic development and institution-building in the Palestinian territories, to prepare Palestinians for eventually running their own independent state. Mr Blair's spokesman described talks in Amman as "positive" before he landed in Tel Aviv en route to Jerusalem.
That is a big enough challenge, correspondents say. He is expected to meet Israel's foreign and defence ministers on Monday, as well as a top American diplomat.
But if Mr Blair wants to be more than a fringe player in the Middle East, says the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen, he will have to get Israel, the Palestinians and the Quartet members talking about final status issues. Any process in the region that marginalises the Hamas movement is doomed to fail Sami Abu ZuhriHamas spokesman On Tuesday he is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
These include the position of Israel's permanent borders, Jewish settlements on Palestinian territory and the fate of Palestinian refugees. Little public comment is expected from the visit, but officials from all sides made their opinions plain as Mr Blair arrived.
Mr Blair says he is optimistic for the future of the PalestiniansThere is also the status of Jerusalem, claimed by Israel as its capital, but where the Palestinians also want to make their capital. The Palestinian Information Minister, Riad al-Maliki, said Mr Blair had the backing of US President George W Bush and was likely to find Israel more co-operative than previous envoys.
Mr Blair's appointment in June was welcomed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, led by Mahmoud Abbas, whose Fatah faction controls the West Bank. "We are determined to provide whatever is needed from our part in order really to make his mission a successful one," he said.
However, the rival Hamas faction, which controls the Gaza Strip, said Mr Blair had not been honest or helpful while prime minister, because of his positions during Israel's war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the invasion of Iraq. An Israeli government spokesman said the atmosphere in the region was "positive", but a spokesman for Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip from Mr Abbas' Fatah faction in June, dismissed Mr Blair's chances of success.
"His policy is based on marginalising and bypassing Hamas in support of the leadership of the Palestinian Authority," said Sami Abu Zuhri.
"Any process in the region that marginalises the Hamas movement is doomed to fail."
Mr Blair's mandate does not allow him to talk to Hamas - which the US blacklists as a terrorist group - even though it was elected to government by the Palestinian people last year.Mr Blair's mandate does not allow him to talk to Hamas - which the US blacklists as a terrorist group - even though it was elected to government by the Palestinian people last year.
Optimist Major issues
Attending last week's meeting of the Middle East Quartet in Lisbon, Mr Blair said that he planned to "listen, to absorb and to reflect" during his visit to the Middle East before putting forward any proposals. Mr Blair's remit is to encourage reform, economic development and institution-building in the Palestinian territories, to prepare Palestinians for eventually running an independent state.
"There is a sense that we can regain momentum. That is the crucial thing. Mr Blair says he is optimistic for the future of the PalestiniansBut the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen says that if Mr Blair wants to be more than a fringe player, he will have to get Israel, the Palestinians and the Quartet members talking about final status issues.
"If we are able to regain that momentum then a whole lot of things become possible, not least the fact that those people of peace can then feel that the force is with them, and not with those who want conflict." These include the position of Israel's permanent borders, Jewish settlements on Palestinian territory, and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
Mr Blair also said it was important to work towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem - with Israel confident of its security, and a Palestine with viable institutions. There is also the status of Jerusalem, claimed by Israel as its capital, but which the Palestinians also want to make their capital.
He said he was an optimist, and would probably need that quality in the months ahead. At a meeting of the Middle East Quartet in Lisbon last week, Mr Blair said that he planned to "listen, to absorb and to reflect" during his Middle East visit before putting forward any proposals.
"There is a sense that we can regain momentum. That is the crucial thing," he said.