Blair to set out Middle East plans within months: spokesman

LONDON (AFP) - Tony Blair, who met international officials in London yesterday to discuss his new Middle East peace envoy role, intends to set out "concrete proposals" within months, his spokesman said.

Exactly one month into the job as envoy for the Middle East Quartet of peace negotiators, the former British prime minister held talks at the Foreign Office.

Blair met representatives from the Quartet -- the European Union, the United Nations, the United States and Russia -- the other Group of Eight industrial powerhouse countries, and Middle East states.

In all, 21 countries were represented and 10 international organisations, a Foreign Office spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, told AFP. Representatives were from senior official level.

The 54-year-old politician is fresh from an inaugural tour of Middle East capitals.

Yesterday meeting "is a chance for Mr Blair to brief them on his visit to the region this week, to set out his initial thoughts on how to implement his mandate and most importantly to hear their views and ideas on the issue," Blair's spokesman Matthew Doyle said in a statement.

"This event is part of his initial preparations for the role," he added.

"He intends, along with the Palestinians, to set out concrete proposals in the early autumn, following a two-week trip to the region at the start of September."

This week, Blair evoked a "moment of opportunity" in the Middle East after holding exploratory talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Credited with bringing peace to Northern Ireland, Blair met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank on Tuesday after calling on Israel's largely ceremonial head of state Shimon Peres in Jerusalem.

"For me, the most important thing at the moment is to listen, to learn, to reflect," he said in Ramallah.

"I'm just trying to have a sense of what's happening here."

Blair stepped down as British premier last month after 10 years in office.