Tony Blair is stepping aside from his role as Quartet Representative.
Reuters/Jerusalem
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will step down as the representative of the Quartet of Middle East powerbrokers at the end of June, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday.
Blair wrote to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday that he would step down from the role he has held for eight years. The decision will come into effect at the end of June, a source close to the Quartet 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 US, Russia, the European Union and the UN, 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 2,100 Palestinians, 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians died and thousands of Gaza homes were devastated in a war last year.
