Tony Blair has spoken of his 'sense of possibility' for progress in his first public comments since beginning his role as Middle East peace envoy.

Mr Blair’s upbeat assessment was in contrast with a number of press critics who have already written off his task as as 'mission impossible' even before he had even arrived.

Mr Blair’s comments came after he met with Israeli president, Shimon Peres, but were backed with a cautious note:

"Whether that sense of possibility can be translated into something, that is something that needs to be worked at and thought about over time."

Mr Blair’s trip to the Middle East is his first as envoy for the Quartet (made up of America, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations). He said he has come to absorb information and gather opinion.

He has already met with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defence Minister Ehud Barak as well as President Peres. He is to travel to Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayad.