Middle East ambassador Blair quits

(MENAFN- Arab News) London: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday resigned as envoy of the Middle East Quartet diplomatic group after eight years in the job his office said.
'Tony Blair has tendered his resignation in a letter to (UN Secretary General) Ban Ki-moon' a spokeswoman for Blair told AFP.
Sources said Blair would officially step down next month.
The former prime minister will continue to work with 'the US the EU and others without any formal role' to support efforts to bring about a two-state solution and will 'remain active on the issues and in the region' a source said.
In London a source close to Blair confirmed that 'as has been widely known since earlier in the year Tony Blair has decided to step aside from his role as Quartet Representative.'
Blair is expected to remain active in the region but not in any formal capacity. It is unclear whether a new representative of the Quartet which brings together the United States Russia the European Union and the United Nations will be appointed.
When Blair's appointment was announced in 2007 he took on the role eight months after it had been vacated by former World Bank president James Wolfensohn.
Blair Britain's prime minister from 1997 until stepping down in 2007 was trying to be active in Middle East diplomacy at a time when international brokers had largely failed to bring Israel and the Palestinians closer to a resolution of their differences.
Peace negotiations brokered by Washington last broke down a year ago in disputes over Israeli settlement building in occupied land and prisoner releases sought by the Palestinians.
The source close to Blair speaking on condition of anonymity said the former prime minister would 'concentrate on strengthening relations between Israel and the wider Arab world' focusing more on regional diplomacy.
Blair also planned to 'focus on encouraging Israel to take measures to dramatically improve the daily lives of Palestinians in Gaza' where 2100 Palestinians 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians died and thousands of Gaza homes were devastated in a war last year.