British Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed a senior diplomat as the new British envoy to the Middle East on Friday to work in the region alongside Tony Blair, the representative for the international Quartet of peacemakers.

Michael Williams, who has served as a Middle East envoy for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon since May, will report to Brown and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the Foreign Office said.

Williams was special adviser to British foreign secretaries Robin Cook and Jack Straw between 1999 and 2005.

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He also served as a senior UN official in peacekeeping missions in Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia.

His appointment comes soon after Tony Blair was named new Middle East envoy for the international Quartet of peacemakers - the United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia - and has brought British media speculation that there could be friction between the two if Brown seeks to depart from policy in Washington.

They have different remits, said a Foreign Office spokesman on condition of anonymity in line with ministry policy. But there's no conflict between their roles, we're all working toward the same goal.

Williams will also handle duties for Iraq and Iran, the Foreign Office said.

Russia, the U.S. and other countries also have their own envoys to the Middle East.

Brown held talks with Ban on Tuesday in New York, gaining final approval to take Williams from his staff.

Lord Michael Levy, Blair's chief fundraiser and the country's previous Middle East envoy, was cleared last month following a police inquiry into allegations he was involved in the trading of political honors for cash.

The investigation tainted Tony Blair's final months in office and caused difficulties for Levy in his post as peacemaker.