LONDON, Oct 21, 2007 (AFP) - The long-running feud between British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his predecessor Tony Blair threatened to reignite Sunday after a new book detailed claims of foul-mouthed rows between the pair.

The fractious relationship between the former and current prime minister has made headlines ever since Labour came to power in 1997, amid claims that Brown was increasingly unhappy at Blair reneging on a deal to hand over power sooner.

LISBON, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - Former British premier Tony Blair would be a good choice as the European Union's first full-time president, French and British leaders said Friday while stressing that the job is not yet on offer.

Blair's successor Gordon Brown praised Blair's current role as international Middle East envoy, and said he would be a strong candidate for any similar high-profile role including the new EU job.

LONDON, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) - Former British prime minister Tony Blair is 'extremely concerned' over the impact his wife's upcoming book will have on his relationship with his successor Gordon Brown, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Cherie Blair's publisher said earlier this month that she had struck a deal to publish 'a warm, intimate and often very funny portrait of a family living in extraordinary circumstances.'

BOURNEMOUTH, England, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday paid tribute to his predecessor Tony Blair, in a keynote speech three months after taking office following years of strains between the two.

In his first speech as leader to the governing Labour Party's annual conference, he praised Blair's involvement in the Middle East peace process 'and the debt we owe as a country and a party to (his) leadership.'

LONDON, Sept 19, 2007 (AFP) - Cherie Blair, the wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair, has struck a deal to publish 'a warm, intimate' and funny memoir of her family's life in politics, her publisher said Wednesday.

Cherie Blair, who uses her maiden name Booth in her career as a human rights lawyer, will see her memoir hit the shelves in October 2008, said publishing house Little, Brown.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) - International Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair arrived in Kuwait on Sunday as he kicked off a two-week regional tour ahead of a US-sponsored international peace conference later this year.

Blair, who was appointed the Quartet envoy in late June after stepping down from a decade as British prime minister, is due to travel to Saudi Arabia and Egypt before arriving in Israel on Tuesday, his spokesman Matthew Doyle said in a statement.

LONDON, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair has recruited an American lawyer and put him in charge of brokering a deal for his memoirs, sources close to the former prime minister told Britain's domestic Press Association Thursday.

The lawyer, Robert Barnett, previously negotiated a 12-million-dollar (8.9-million-euro) deal for ex-US president Bill Clinton's autobiography, 'My Life'.

Publishing insiders estimate that an autobiography by Blair, who left Downing Street on June 27 after 10 years in office, would fetch a similar amount.

EDINBURGH, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - Critics often said former prime minister Tony Blair brought a touch of theatre to Downing Street, but now the tables have been turned thanks to two musicals at the Edinburgh Fringe devoted to him.

'Tony! The Blair Musical' and 'Tony Blair -- The Musical' both take an irreverent look at Blair's 10 years in power, barely six weeks after he stepped down and Gordon Brown took over the country's top job.

ZAGREB, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - Former British prime minister Tony Blair first confessed his desire to convert to Roman Catholicism to a Bosnian Franciscan monk, a Croatian magazine reported Tuesday.

The friar, Mario Knezovic, told the Globus magazine that he spoke with Blair, who is currently an Anglican, at the prime minister's official residence, Downing Street, in early 2004.

LONDON, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - The head of the Metropolitan Police on Thursday denied lying over the killing of an innocent Brazilian man in the wake of the 2005 London bombings, but renewed an apology for the death.

Speaking shortly after the release of a long-awaited report, Sir Ian Blair also voiced his continuing support for a senior officer accused of misleading the public in the hours after Jean Charles de Menezes died on July 22, 2005.

LONDON, July 27, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair, who met international officials in London Friday to discuss his new Middle East peace envoy role, intends to set out 'concrete proposals' within months, his spokesman said.

Exactly one month into the job as envoy for the Middle East Quartet of peace negotiators, the former British prime minister held talks at the Foreign Office.

Blair met representatives from the Quartet -- the European Union, the United Nations, the United States and Russia -- the other Group of Eight industrial powerhouse countries, and Middle East states.

MANAMA, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair held talks on Wednesday with the crown prince of Bahrain on his first regional tour as an international envoy for Middle East peace, the BNA state news agency reported.

Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa assured the former British prime minister of Bahrain`s 'commitment to the Arab peace initiative' first adopted in Beirut in 2002, BNA said.

The Saudi-inspired plan, which was re-adopted at an Arab summit in March, 'represents the Arab stance towards achieving peace,' BNA added.

MANAMA, July 25, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair held talks on Wednesday with the crown prince of Bahrain on his first regional tour as an international envoy for Middle East peace, BNA state news agency reported.

Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa assured the former British prime minister of Bahrain`s 'commitment to the Arab peace initiative' first adopted in Beirut in 2002, BNA said.

The Saudi-inspired plan, which was re-adopted at an Arab summit in March, 'represents the Arab stance towards achieving peace,' BNA added.

RAMALLAH, West Bank, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair on Tuesday evoked a 'moment of opportunity' in the Middle East as he held exploratory talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on his inaugural tour as international envoy.

The former British prime minister credited with bringing peace to Northern Ireland met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank after calling on Israel`s largely ceremonial head of state Shimon Peres in Jerusalem.

RAMALLAH, West Bank, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair on Tuesday evoked a 'sense of possibility' in the Middle East as he held exploratory talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the start of his mandate as special envoy.

The former British prime minister credited with bringing peace to Northern Ireland met Israel`s largely ceremonial president Shimon Peres in Jerusalem before conferring with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah.

RAMALLAH, West Bank, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair said Tuesday he saw a 'sense of possibility' in the Middle East, as he held talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in his first visit to the region as Quartet envoy.

The former British prime minister has held a flurry of meetings over the past two days with regional players, getting input on ways to jumpstart peace talks that have been stalled for six years.

'There is a sense of possibility,' Blair said after meeting Israel`s new president, Nobel peace laureate Shimon Peres, in Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM, July 24, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair was to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday as he continued his fact-finding maiden visit to the region as the new envoy for the Middle East peace Quartet.

The former British prime minister arrived in the Middle East on Monday for a flurry of meetings with regional players on ways to jumpstart the peace process which has been stalled for the past six years.

JERUSALEM, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair on Monday embarked on his first visit to the Middle East as special international envoy, consulting Israeli and Jordanian ministers on ways to revitalise the stagnant peace process.

He jetted into Israel after morning talks in Amman, where the former British prime minister held what were dubbed 'positive and constructive' discussions with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib.

JERUSALEM, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair on Monday embarked on his first visit to the Middle East as special international envoy, consulting Israeli and Jordanian ministers on ways to revitalise the stagnant peace process.

He jetted into Israel after morning talks in Amman, where the former British prime minister held what were dubbed 'positive and constructive' discussions with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib.

LONDON, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Monday that his government will offer 'whatever help' it can to his predecessor Tony Blair who takes up a new role as Middle East peace envoy.

'We are totally in support of the work what Tony Blair is now doing in the Middle East,' Brown said, as Blair arrived in Israel on the second leg of his maiden trip to the region as envoy.

'We`ll give him whatever help we can for what is a very important mission,' Brown added at his first press conference since taking over from Blair on June 27.

JERUSALEM, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair embarked on his maiden voyage to the Middle East as special envoy for the peace Quartet on Monday, tapping regional players on ways to revive the moribund peace process.

Blair arrived in Israel in the afternoon after a brief stopover in Amman, where the former British prime minister held 'positive and constructive' talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib.

AMMAN, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair, on his maiden voyage to the Middle East as special envoy for the peace Quartet, Monday tapped Jordan on efforts to revive the moribund peace process ahead of visits to Israel and the West Bank.

During his brief stop in Amman, the former British prime minister held talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib.

TEL AVIV, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair arrived Monday in Israel on the second leg of his maiden voyage to the Middle East as special envoy for the peace Quartet, an AFP photographer said.

The former British prime minister landed in Israel after holding 'constructive' talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib in Amman.

He is due to meet with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Monday afternoon and Defence Minister Ehud Barak in the evening in Jerusalem, officials said.

AMMAN, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair had Monday 'constructive and positive' talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib on his maiden voyage to the Middle East as special envoy for the peace Quartet, his spokesman told AFP.

'It was a very positive and constructive meeting in which the Jordanian side welcomed Mr. Blair`s appointment,' in late June, Matthew Doyle said by telephone after the one-hour meeting at the Jordanian foreign ministry.

AMMAN, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair on Monday kicked off his maiden voyage to the Middle East as special envoy for the peace Quartet amid a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at reviving the moribund peace process.

The former British prime minister landed in Jordan and immediately began talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib on reactivating the peace process, officials said.

His three-day visit will also take him to Israel and the West Bank.

AMMAN, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair arrived Monday in Jordan on the start of his maiden voyage to the Middle East as special envoy for the peace Quartet, Jordanian foreign ministry officials said.

The former British prime minister immediately headed for talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib on reactivating the peace process, the officials said.

He was later due to continue on to Israel and the West Bank for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

JERUSALEM, July 22, 2007 (AFP) - Tony Blair, the new special envoy for the Middle East peace Quartet, will meet Palestinian and Israeli leaders on Tuesday during his first visit to the region in his new role, officials said.

Blair will meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah in the afternoon and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem in the evening, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

The former British prime minister will arrive in the region on Monday for a three-day visit, his first as the Quartet`s new special envoy, his spokesman told AFP.