Tehran, July 1, IRNA - Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said here Sunday Iran welcomes premiership of Britain's Gordon Brown.

Hosseini made the statement in his address to domestic and foreign reporters at his weekly press conference.

"We hope the new British labor government will choose a more appropriate and neutral approach to regional and international developments," he said.

In bilateral ties, he expressed hope that during Brown's term, Britain would revise its incorrect policies of the past and its unfounded allegations against Tehran.

Hosseini criticized Tony Blair's appointment as Middle East peace envoy, saying, "He did not have a good background and a good reputation in the region.

"I do not think this appointment would have a positive impact on the developments of the Middle East region."

The international Quartet -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations -- appointed Blair as their Middle East envoy on Wednesday, the day he stepped down after 10 years as British prime minister.

... Payvand News - 7/1/07 ... --