Blair urges Obama 'healing role'

Mr Obama will take over as president in January

Tony Blair says he believes President-elect Barack Obama can help the US to play a "healing role" in the world.

The ex-UK prime minister predicted that the euphoria surrounding Mr Obama's US election win would be "somewhat blown away by the realities of government".

But while "it's in the nature of things that expectations... get disappointed" Mr Obama had the "intelligence and the sensitivity" to fulfil many of them.

He told the BBC he remained "totally committed" to his Middle East role.

On BBC Radio 4's the World this Weekend he said he had spoken regularly to Mr Obama over recent months about the situation in the Middle East, where Mr Blair is an envoy for the "quartet" of the US, Russia, the EU and the UN.

'Hard choices'

Mr Blair said that in his conversations with Mr Obama, he had been struck by how he was a "very thoughtful and intelligent person who understands that after the euphoria is somewhat blown away by the realities of government - because that's just the way it happens - there are some very hard choices and decisions to make."

I am absolutely committed to working at it for as long as it takes Tony Blair on his work as Middle East envoy Blair urges Obama on peace deal

Mr Blair cited the Middle East and climate change as two areas where President-elect Obama could have a great impact.

The former Labour leader - who was elected prime minister on a landslide in 1997 - said that there was nothing more important than getting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolved.

"I think it is possible to do it and I am absolutely committed to working at it for as long as it takes."

Mr Blair also praised his successor Gordon Brown's leadership - and said he was pleased for both Lord Mandelson "and the country" that the former cabinet minister had been brought back to the government.

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