Rice welcomes Blair as new Middle East envoy

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hailed Tony Blair as an "historic and passionate leader" today, saying his debut as Middle East envoy could breath new life into long-stalled talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

At the same time, she defended the decision to limit Mr Blair’s mandate to helping Palestinians develop their infrastructure and economy, saying his role would complement US-led diplomatic efforts – and that there was plenty of work for everyone.