Word: envoy
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Like so much else in the Middle East, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's first trip as a peace envoy to Israel and the Palestinian territories involves a squabble over real estate - or, in this case, office space...
...back in 1999. The ethnic violence and resulting NATO action saw some 10,000 deaths, including military casualties. Earlier this year, U.S. and European leaders said they hoped to win U.N. security council approval for a "supervised independence" plan by May. Under the plan, drawn up by the Finnish envoy, Martti Ahtisaari, the province will cease to be a part of Serbia but will still fall under the supervision of international administrators - and a significant foreign peacekeeping contingent - in order to ensure the security of local Serbs and other minorities who have in the past been the targets of violence...
...long as possible against Palestinian demands," he says. Meanwhile, the Palestinians, especially the extremists among them, cling to the dream of winning back all the land up to the Mediterranean shores, even if, in their hearts, they know it's impossible. The moral of this story: As Middle East envoy, Blair will find Israeli and Palestinian leaders who are sadly lacking in vision and pragmatism. Everyone is waiting for the Baron...
...refrain from criticizing or passing comment on Brown, despite the bitterness engendered by their ruptured friendship and long rivalry. But Blair is unlikely to opt for a quiet retirement. On Tuesday, after assent came from Moscow, Blair was cleared to be appointed to the role of Middle East peace envoy for the quartet of the U.S., E.U., U.N. and Russia in the quest for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Blair also hopes to launch an inter-faith initiative, discussed in Saturday's meeting with the Pope. The web address www.blairfoundation.org.uk was registered last November...
...Clinton Administration, Washington contemplated air strikes on Yongbyon; then, a few years later, sent its Secretary of State to toast Kim with champagne. Early in the Bush Administration, it was back to war preparations and talk of a "strangulation strategy"; now, again, the full diplomatic embrace is on. U.S. envoy Christopher Hill made a surprise trip to Pyongyang on Thursday - the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the North in five years - in order to "move the process forward" and "make up for lost time" in the race to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, according to a State Department statement...