New UK Middle East envoy named

By Adrian Croft

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain appointed U.N. official Michael Williams as its Middle East envoy on Friday, putting an experienced hand in charge of an area that is a foreign policy priority for Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Williams, who starts his new job in September, will be responsible for Arab-Israeli issues as well as Iran and Iraq, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

A former journalist and Foreign Office adviser, he has been U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East for less than three months.

In contrast with former prime minister Tony Blair's personal Middle East envoy, Lord Michael Levy, Williams will report to both Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Brown, the Foreign Office said.

"His responsibilities will cover the wider Middle East including Iraq and Iran in addition to the Middle East peace process," it said.

Rosemary Hollis, director of research at the Chatham House think-tank, said Williams was a "suitable choice" because of his knowledge of the issues, his experience and because he had moved in both British government and U.N. circles.

Brown's government is expected to put the stress on economic development in Gaza and the West Bank, seeing this as an essential building block to peace in the Middle East.

Hollis said Williams will be able to draw on years of research carried out by Ed Balls, a close ally of Brown, on an "economic roadmap" for rebuilding the region's economy.