SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: The Bush administration is considering appointing outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as special envoy for the Middle East Quartet. If only they had told the Europeans.
It might seem like a basic principle of diplomacy to let your allies know before you nominate someone to represent them. However this appears to not have been the case with the Bush administration's reported backing of Tony Blair to be the Middle East Quartet's special envoy for Palestinian governance (more...).
According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, the Foreign Ministry in Berlin had not been informed of plans to nominate Blair for the post -- even though German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier currently represents the EU in the Quartet. Germany currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
Blair is a controversial choice for the position, given his role in the Iraq war and his close relationship to Bush, and he is unpopular in much of the Middle East. Politicians in both Berlin and Brussels fear that Blair would be an unacceptable go-between for many Arabs. Europeans Skeptical about Blair as Mideast Envoy (more)
Mark Alexander
