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Blair embarks on Mideast mission

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(CNN) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to visit the Middle East this weekend with an eye on offering ideas for a comprehensive peace, sources told CNN.

He is to visit Israel on Saturday. On Sunday, he is headed to Lebanon and to the Palestinian territory of the West Bank.

Arab and Western diplomats and senior U.S. officials said that Blair will discuss a set of ideas developed recently among British and American officials on how to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict.

As the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon persists, Blair wants to move tackle root causes of instability and violence in the region, particularly the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as the Syrian and Lebanese track.

Among the issues he will discuss are "guarantees" for Israelis and Palestinians that would promote a two-state solution and moves to re-energize aid structures for Palestinians.

Such structures would bypass the Hamas militant movement that controls the Palestinian government and build up moderate Palestinians and the Palestinian political process, the sources said.

Senate sets final health care vote for Thursday morning The Senate will hold its final vote on a sweeping health care bill Thursday morning under an agreement that Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Tuesday.

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