Brussels  - Direct contacts with the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas would not take place until the group recognizes Israel's right to exist, Mideast Quartet representative and former British prime minister Tony Blair said on Tuesday in Brussels.

"It is important that it accepts the existence of Israel," said Blair on the sidelines of a EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels

Hamas, which currently runs the Palestinian terrritory of the Gaza Strip, is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union, which forms the Mideast Quartet along with Russia, the United Nations and the United States.

The EU, however, has welcomed Egyptian efforts at a dialogue with Hamas.

Blair said that it was entirely possible that the Mideast conflict could end this year with a two-state solution, although he said this would be a great challenge.

He added that a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict had to happen for the Middle East to move forward.

Blair also called upon the European Union to greater engagement in the Mideast peace process, saying the EU was a bond between Israel and Palestine. (dpa)