Tony Blair is vying for a broader mandate for his
peacekeeping mission in the Middle East.
Diplomats from the Quartet, the grouping of the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and
Russia, met in London today to discuss the scope of Blair’s role as the Quartet’s special Middle East envoy. The former British prime minister is supposed to make his first Middle East trip in his new role next week, but the visit could be postponed if an agreement on his mandate is not reached.
Blair was quoted as saying his capacity-building mandate
“is not enough” and that he wants a more political role, Reuters reported.
