Blair, an 'optimist'
Photo: AFP
Rice; 'good deal of luck required'
Photo: AFP
Blair 'optimistic' about peace talks
In Quartet meeting, new Mideast envoy Tony Blair says 'things can change, there is a sense that we can regain momentum', while US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says 'good deal of good luck' needed to achieve peace
Tony Blair waded headlong into the murky world of Middle East peacemaking on Thursday, dismissing concerns that he would fail like so many before him.
The former British prime minister brushed aside suggestions that his limited mandate as special envoy to the international diplomatic Quartet, and the group's refusal to deal with the hardline Palestinian movement Hamas, would hamstring his mission.
Boycott
Associated Press
Secretary of State Rice says neither Quartet nor Washington will deal with Hamas unless it recognizes Israel's right to exist, renounces terrorism. Meanwhile, Former Secretary of State Powell says in radio interview, 'I think you'd have to find some way to talk to Hamas'
"I'm nothing if not an optimist," Blair said following a meeting in Portugal's capital that brought together senior representatives from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - which together comprise the Quartet.
"I will probably have need for all that quality of optimism in this task ahead, but I am determined to try."
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice echoed Blair's statement; saying "a good deal of good luck and optimism" would be required to achieve peace in the region, where peace talks have sputtered since the second Palestinian uprising in 2001.
Blair gave no specifics on when he would make his first visit to the region, saying only that it would be soon, and that he would return later for a longer trip. He said he planned to brief the Quartet for the first time in September.
In a statement following the Lisbon meeting, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Israelis and Palestinians and other regional players to work closely with Blair, adding that the diplomatic group "encouraged robust international support for his efforts."
Blair pointed to his successful efforts to push for peace in Northern Ireland, a goal which had once appeared impossible, too.
"Things can change," he said. At the same time, he cautioned against raising false hopes. "There is a sense that we can regain momentum. That's the crucial thing. And 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," Blair said.
