Blair set to give up Middle East peace envoy role ahead of Israeli election

Tony Blair is preparing to step back from his role as envoy for the Quartet of Middle East peace negotiators as the US and Europe review policy options ahead of Israel's election this week.

After nearly eight years, the former British prime minister has recognised that a frontline role is no longer tenable, according to several people familiar with the situation. His move comes amid deep unease in parts of Washington and Brussels over his poor relations with senior Palestinian Authority figures and sprawling business interests.

Mr Blair is embarking on delicate negotiations to recast his Middle East role but is determined to remain part of the peace process. He met John Kerry, US secretary of state, on Saturday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, to discuss a possible job change. He also spoke to Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, who is pushing for a revamp of the Quartet and for Europe to take a more robust stance on Israel's conduct.

If Mr Blair does step aside or take an informal position, it would end the controversial arrangement that has made him a fixture of Middle East diplomacy while conducting private business with some regional governments that he also deals with through the Quartet, which represents the UN, US, EU and Russia.

Clarification

No final decisions have yet been taken by the Quartet but a clarification of Mr Blair’s role could come later this week. Mr Blair’s office declined to comment.

Although Mr Kerry is a supporter of Mr Blair’s involvement, some senior figures in Washington said they wanted Mr Blair to step aside. Concerns include his multiple charitable and commercial interests. Ms Mogherini, meanwhile, is looking beyond Mr Blair as she recalibrates Europe’s approach and appoints a new EU Middle East envoy.

Brussels stopped funding Mr Blair’s office in 2012 and he was not invited to the last minister-level meeting of the Quartet in Munich convened by Ms Mogherini.

Some senior diplomats said Mr Blair was being eased out of the position. “It is long overdue,” said one diplomat briefed on the discussions. “He has been ineffective in this job. He has no credibility in this part of the world.”

Another person close to the Obama administration said: “Tony Blair is neither an asset nor a liability, but his current role is no longer viable.” Last week Mr Blair told friends he was seeking to reconfigure his role and had grown weary of being blamed for the Quartet’s shortcomings that were beyond his narrow remit and responsibilities.

In recent months Mr Blair’s role as Middle East envoy has come under increasing criticism, with questions raised about his dual role as super- diplomat and businessman. He does not disclose any clients but they have included countries such as Peru, Colombia, Kuwait, Vietnam and Kazakhstan.

– (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2015)