Downing Street has played down the chances of progress in the Middle East after Tony Blair’s meetings yesterday with senior officials from Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Ahmed Qureia, the Palestinian prime minister, described talks with the prime minister and foreign secretary Jack Straw as highly constructive but failed to commit himself to a meeting with Ariel Sharon, the Israeli leader.

Tony Blair’s spokesman said: "Everyone is aware of the need to reinvigorate the process, but I would not want anyone to see the sequence of meetings as previewing some grand announcement or plan. They are simply a reflection of the desire to see what we can do to get things back on track."