Blair's nomination as Quartet envoy not welcomed by Hamas (Extra)

Jun 27, 2007, 17:31 GMT

Gaza - The Islamic Hamas movement slammed on Wednesday the nomination of former British premier Tony Blair as the new peace envoy for the international Quartet Committee for peace to the Middle East.

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said that 'Blair isn't a welcomed character because he has never been authentic to the Palestinian aspirations to end the occupation and free prisoners from Israeli jails.'

'Blair has always worked under the American umbrella and he was behind wars and disasters that are still going on in Iraq, Somalia, Afghanistan and Lebanon,' said Barhoum.

However, Sallam Fayyad, the emergency government premier, told reporters that Blair would be 'an important addition to the framework of international dealings with the Palestinians through the Quartet.'

Earlier Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is a major Quartet member, had told a joint news conference in Ramallah with President Mahmoud Abbas that the decision would be announced later.

Lavrov added that 'the Quartet had agreed on a mandate for a new envoy,' without more elaboration.

'Russia, as a member of the Quartet, is doing all it can to help the Palestinians regain unity,' he said.

He added that Russia would participate in humanitarian aid to the isolated Gaza Strip and called on Israel to take 'additional steps and create an atmosphere to help the peace process.'

Barhoum charged that Blair 'has been always defending the Israeli occupation crimes committed against the Palestinians, and has always supported the Israeli state of terrorism against our people.'

He said he doesn't expect that Blair in his new position as the Quartet envoy 'would play a fair role to solve the Palestinian cause.'