Quds, July 23 , SPA -- Former British prime minister Tony Blair embarked on his first mission as a special Middle East envoy Monday, arriving in Israel at what the country's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said was "a critical time which could create a turning point." Blair, making his first trip to the region on behalf of the so-called Quartet - the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations - met with Livni Al-Quds shortly after arriving at Ben Gurion Airport after talks in Amman, Jordan, according to dpa. He was appointed Quartet envoy on June 27, with an official mandate of helping the Palestinians build institutions of statehood. Blair also held talks with Israeli Vice Premier Haim Ramon, a confidant of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who said the time had come for Israelis and Palestinians to renew peace talks. Although Blair was also scheduled to meet Monday evening with Defence Minister Ehud Barak, the main focus of his visit was slated to be Tuesday, with separate meetings with President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, and then dinner in the evening with Olmert.
