LONDON (EJP)---The four major international players in the Middle East peace process will this week confirm outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair as their envoy, the Financial Times reported today.

The British daily said that representatives from the Mideast Quartet, comprising the European Union, United Nations, Russia and the United States, would formally agree the 54-year-old’s role at a specially convened meeting on Tuesday in Jerusalem.

"Blair’s appointment has been 150 per cent approved," the newspaper quoted an unnamed figure close to the negotiations as saying in a report from London.

"The Jerusalem meeting is all about arranging logistics, making final arrangements and getting the announcement out."

Blair leaves office on June 27 after ten years at 10 Downing Street. On Sunday, he handed over leadership of the governing Labour Party to his Finance Minister, Gordon Brown, who succeed him as Prime Minister.

Brown is said to be deeply unhappy with the appointment. He wants to put a particular focus on boosting reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians by economic means.

The Financial Times said there was speculation in London that Blair’s long-serving chief of staff Jonathan Powell could accompany him in the new role but no independent confirmation.

It added that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is thought to have discussed the appointment with President Vladimir Putin, who has not opposed it.

US President George Bush has signalled his support for Blair for the role, although the British Prime Minister himself has not commented on it.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana was opposed to the move, because it would detract from his efforts in the Middle East, the newspaper said.

There is also unhappiness about the appointment in the Foreign Office, which was not consulted about it, the FT says.

Blair has always made clear that he is committed to reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians. He views finding a solution to the Middle East crisis as central to tackling global extremism.

Diplomats say the Quartet envoy’s role is largely focused on improving Palestinian governance and does not involve diplomatic negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.