My Way News - Blair Has Limits As Mideast Envoy
AP reports: "[...] the former British prime minister only has a limited mandate when he arrives in the region Monday, and despite his star appeal he could quickly become one in a long succession of well-meaning, yet ultimately ineffective mediators."

Comment: It is highly significant that the office of Quartet Envoy has been created but it's clear that Blair does not have the authority to negotiate a final peace settlement on behalf of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. Still, the new office is one we should watch carefully, not only for the possibility that he will expand his mandate, but also for signs that the office will fall short of that potential, leaving it either to a successor of other actor to confirm the covenant with the many in the future.