"Tony Blair, as the Quartet representative, will intensify his partnership with Senator Mitchell in support of the political negotiations," Clinton said in a statement after speaking with Blair.
Clinton, reiterating Washington's commitment to finding a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said Blair would work to help lay the groundwork for a future Palestinian state and "improve freedom of movement and access" for Palestinians.
A spokesman for Blair said the envoy was looking forward to stepping up his work with Mitchell and helping Palestinians prepare for statehood.
"We need a new strategy which starts to end the closure policy (of Gaza), so that reconstruction can advance further, and legitimate business can prosper," said Blair's spokesman, without giving details on what a new strategy might be. "By focusing on the bottom-up change, we can create the best possible atmosphere for political negotiations to succeed," the spokesman added.
