Blair might base himself in Jerusalem palace as Mid-East envoy

Having served as Britains Prime Minister for a decade, Tony Blair appears reluctant to give up on his grandeur-like lifestyle.

London, July 23 : Having served as Britain's Prime Minister for a decade, Tony Blair appears reluctant to give up on his grandeur-like lifestyle.

According to The Daily Mail, Blair may base himself at a Jerusalem palace while enacting his role as the Quartet's Middle East envoy.

He has been looking at an imposing, historic edifice with a ballroom, fragrant gardens and a wonderful view of the golden dome of the city's al-Aqsa mosque.

The house - built in 1931 - was once home to Britain's High Commissioner to Palestine. Today it serves as the UN's Middle East headquarters.

Critics, however, say that Blair's job as envoy of the so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators - the EU, UN, U.S. and Russia - does not merit such opulence. Critics warned that living in luxury while many Palestinians struggle in squalor would only inflame anger over Mr Blair's appointment.

Abdelbari Atwan, editor of the London newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, has questioned Blair's desire for a lavish residence, when he is neither a president, a prime minister, or a even a minister.

Blair's aides confirmed he hoped to use offices in the building, but denied he planned to make it his residence. He is making his first trip to the region in his new role today and will spend at least a week a month in the Middle East from September. But he has not chosen where to live.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice categorically stated that she was in charge of brokering peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, and not Blair.

Rice told reporters on the sidelines of a Mid-East Quartet meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, that Blair should stick to his narrow remit of mending the Palestinian economy and political system, a role merely complementary to her job as the leading peacemaker to the region.

The Daily Mail had then said that Blair was angling for a more prominent role from the Quartet.

Blair told a press conference after the meeting that on the day he left the office as British Prime Minister on June 27, he had pledged to broker a Northern Ireland-style peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

This contrasted with his predecessor, former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, who dealt solely with Palestinian economic reform.

ANI