US seeks swift deal on Blair as West Asia envoy

JERUSALEM, June 27 (Reuters) The Bush administration expects Western powers to agree to name Tony Blair as their West Asia envoy soon after he steps down as British prime minister today, diplomats said.

The Quartet of West Asia mediators -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- would give Blair the job of working with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on building up institutions needed for a future state.

Washington wants to try to accelerate the peace process through Abbas in the occupied West Bank despite Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip.

Blair's appointment was delayed yesterday when Russia balked at giving a green light to the appointment during a meeting of Quartet representatives in Jerusalem.

Diplomats said the Russian representative did not raise specific objections to Blair but requested time to consult with Moscow.

''Washington believes that the parties will agree and Washington wants to do it (appoint Blair) soon,'' said a Western diplomat familiar with the deliberations.

IN THE HANDS OF PRINCIPLES ''It is now in the hands of the principles,'' said another Western diplomat, referring to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

US officials said yesterday that Quartet consultations were in their final stages and that an announcement was likely to come today.

The EU's Middle East envoy, Marc Otte, said Blair was the only candidate for the envoy post.

Relations between London and Moscow have been sour over Britain's probe of a murder in London of a former Soviet agent.

Lavrov suggested yesterday in a speech in Israel that Moscow was resisting the US and Israeli strategy of isolating Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which the Islamist group seized by force two weeks ago after routing Abbas's Fatah forces.

Washington wants to bolster the emergency government that Abbas formed in the occupied West Bank after he sacked a Hamas-led cabinet.

Lavrov criticised what he called a ''divide and conquer'' policy that has resulted in Hamas control of Gaza and Fatah dominance in the West Bank.

Some Quartet diplomats have raised questions about Blair's ability to garner broad Palestinian and Arab public support because of his leading role in the Iraq war and his close relationship with US President George W Bush.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhmoum said Blair was not welcome in the envoy post because he supported ''the Zionist occupation's terrorism and massacres against our people''.

REUTERS SYU HS1431