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Mideast Quartet meets Blair to revive peace process |
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21:33, July 19, 2007 |
Leaders of the Middle East Quartet will meet here on Thursday to take stock of the latest developments in the region and discuss the role of Tony Blair, the quartet''s new special envoy.
Blair, appointed after his resignation as British prime minister on June 27, is expected to unveil his plans to lay the groundwork for a future Palestinian state.
He was mandated to build Palestinian institutions and rally international economic support for the Palestinians.
This will be Blair''s first appearance with the Quartet -- the United States, the European Union (EU), Russia, and the United Nations -- after his appointment.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, are all expected to attend the Lisbon meeting.
It is reported that Palestinians want Blair''s role to be expanded so that he can talk to the Islamic militant group Hamas, which gripped power in the Gaza strip last month. But the idea met with opposition from Washington.
Thursday''s meeting may also discuss U.S. President George W. Bush''s proposal for an international conference to put the Middle East "roadmap" back on track.
Bush''s proposal was welcomed by the EU and won support from certain Arab countries. But it remains to be seen whether the proposal will get formal endorsement of the Quartet meeting.
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