JERUSALAM, February 10, 2008 (WAFA)-International Mideast envoy Tony Blair said on Sunday that he believes the Arab and Israeli perspectives on an acceptable permanent peace accord are very similar.

Blair told The Jerusalem Post daily that Arab nations are as eager for a speedy resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the Israelis.

Blair, who has been touring the Arab world, concluded that "the Arabs genuinely want this settled now," according to the newspaper.

The former British prime minister said the Arab world is currently "in transition" between the younger generation on the "cutting edge of globalization" and the "Islamists' battle to the death."

Blair said that the overriding sentiment in the Arab world was for settling the conflict, often agreeing with Israel on "some of the most sensitive questions.

Blair, whose mandate is promoting economic development in the Palestinian territories, said he met then with Palestinian business leaders, who told him that hundreds of Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank have stifled the economy.

Blair told the newspaper that Israeli must ease restrictions, starting with allowing Palestinian merchants freer travel.