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

Blair was meeting 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.

The 54-year-old politician is fresh back from an inaugural tour of Middle East capitals.

Friday's meeting "is a chance for Mr. Blair to brief them on his visit to the region this week, to set out his initial thoughts on how to implement his mandate and most importantly to hear their views and ideas on the issue," Blair's spokesman said in a statement.

"This event is part of his initial preparations for the role.

"He intends, along with the Palestinians, to set out concrete proposals in the early autumn, following a two-week trip to the region at the start of September."

Neither Blair's spokesman nor Foreign Office spokespeople were available to comment further.

This week, Blair evoked a "moment of opportunity" in the Middle East after holding exploratory talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Credited with bringing peace to Northern Ireland, Blair met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank on Tuesday after calling on Israel's largely ceremonial head of state Shimon Peres in Jerusalem.

"For me, the most important thing at the moment is to listen, to learn, to reflect," he said in Ramallah.

"I'm just trying to have a sense of what's happening here."

He stepped down as British premier last month after 10 years in office.