Obama meets Blair, discusses Middle East peace

United Kingdom News.Net
Saturday 26th July, 2008 (ANI)

London, July 26 : U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Saturday met former British Prime Minister and The Quartet's Middle East envoy Tony Blair during the final day of his foreign tour.

Blair had a breakfast meeting with Obama at the latter's London hotel, and The News quoted Blair's spokesman as saying that their talks focused on the Middle East peace process.

Obama -- who has been travelling abroad in a high-profile effort to show US voters how he can handle foreign policy issues -- was in Jordan, Israel and the West Bank earlier in the week.

"They exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and its wider implications, in light of Senator Obama's visits this week and Mr Blair's continuing efforts to promote peace and prosperity," the spokesman said.

Blair represents the Middle East Quartet -- the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States -- which is driving negotiations for a lasting peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

The two also discussed Blair's work on climate change, an issue on which the former Labour prime minister has worked since leaving office in June 2007.

"The recent report of Mr Blair's 'Breaking the Climate Deadlock' initiative has set out the framework for a new global deal for a low carbon future," his spokesman said.

"It identifies the actions and questions that need to be resolved by political and business leaders over the next 18 months to achieve a successful outcome to the UN climate change negotiations in Copenhagen in December 2009."

The pair also chatted about their children before sending photographers out of the room.

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