Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of the United States said on Thursday that envoy Tony Blair of the quartet of Middle East peace-broker nations (The US, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia) will play a bigger role, in cooperation with special US envoy George Mitchell, to renew diplomatic talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The announcement followed a conversation between Clinton and Blair, according to a written statement.
No details were given. The Associated Press reports that the former British prime minister has confined his activities to building support for the PA and has not served as a mediator or negotiator.