Mr Blair was in a band called Ugly Rumours while at university Labour MPs and peers have given outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair a steel-string acoustic guitar as a leaving present. Mr. Blair held his last meeting with the Parliamentary Labour Party in the Commons on Monday, saying his successor Gordon Brown would be a "great leader". The PM is a keen guitarist and a former member of a band. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who is also stepping down, was given a stand for holding drinks decanters. Mr. Blair told MPs and peers that Labour must maintain its discipline and continue to occupy the centre ground of politics. Blair leaves office Wednesday after 10 years in power, handing over to his Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown who succeeded him as head of the Labour Party. According to the Financial Times, the four major players in the Mideast peace process, including the European Union, United Nations, Russia and the United States agreed on Blair as their new Mideast envoy when they met Tuesday. The official announcement of the Quartet's decision was to be made Wednesday, a senior U.S. official said. President Bush previously was reported to strongly supported Blair for the new job, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed support for the idea that Blair could play a role in the Middle East. 点击查看更多双语新闻 (Reuters)

英国工党的议员和贵族们送给即将离任的布莱尔首相一把钢弦木吉他作为告别礼物。 周一，布莱尔在下议院与议会工党召开了最后一次会议，他在会上称他的继任者戈登·布朗将会是一位“伟大的领袖”。 曾为一名乐队成员的布莱尔首相对弹吉他有浓厚的兴趣。 同样即将离任的副首相约翰·普雷斯科特则得到了一个用来放酒器的架子。 布莱尔先生对工党议员及贵族们说，工党必须维持好党内纪律，继续在政治舞台上占据中心地位。 任职十年的布莱尔首相将于本周三离任，财政大臣戈登·布朗将接替他担任工党领袖。 据《金融时报》消息，中东和平进程中的四大主要力量--欧盟、联合国、俄罗斯和美国，在本周二会面时对布莱尔担任中东特使一事达成了协议。 美国一位高级官员说，中东“四方”的这一决定将于本周三正式宣布。 此前，有报道称，美国总统布什表示坚决支持布莱尔任中东特使一职，以色列总理埃胡德·奥尔默特也对布莱尔能在中东地区任职一事表示支持。 （英语点津姗姗编辑）