Brown to appoint his own Middle East envoy

Ian Black, middle East editor. Guardian. 28/07/07. Gordon Brown is to appoint his own Middle East envoy, opening up the possibility of a clash with the work of Tony Blair, who is now representing the international "Quartet" - the US, EU, UN and Russia. Michael Williams, currently a special coordinator for the regional peace process for the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, is expected to be confirmed in the job next week, the Guardian has learned. Mr Williams, 58, a former BBC journalist, worked for the UN in Cambodia and the Balkans, and as an adviser to Robin Cook and Jack Straw in the Foreign Office. Details of the appointment are still being finalised, but his move to Downing Street suggests that the prime minister is keen to develop his own policy for the Middle East, despite his predecessor's new high-profile role for the Quartet. Mr Brown told Mr Ban in London earlier this month that he wanted Mr Williams to fill the post formerly occupied by Lord Levy. The Palestinians and other Arabs will be pleased with the news and hoping that the prime minister will develop a distinct approach that is less influenced by both Washington and Jerusalem. Lord Levy, a leading figure in the UK Jewish community and a Labour party donor, was widely seen as being too close to Israel's view of the conflict. A key issue is whether to engage with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, currently being shunned on the grounds that it has not formally renounced violence, recognised Israel or accepted previous peace agreements.

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