U.S. President Obama to name George Mitchell as Mideast envoy
U.S. President Barack Obama will name former Northern Ireland peacemaker George Mitchell as his Middle East envoy to deal immediately with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sources familiar with the matter told news agencies on Tuesday.
The choice, if confirmed, appears set to appease Arab and other critics who contend Washington is biased in favor of Israel.
Best known for peacemaking efforts in Northern Ireland, the former Senate majority leader, 75, also has experience in the Middle East. Mitchell was appointed by former President Bill Clinton to find ways to halt Israeli-Palestinian violence.
If he gets the job, Mitchell”s first challenge would be dealing with the crisis in Gaza, where Israeli troops are withdrawing after a 22-day offensive. A fragile truce between Israel and the Hamas Islamist movement took hold at the weekend.
Mitchell”s 2001 report on the Israelis and Palestinians called for the Israelis to freeze construction of new settlements and stop shooting at unarmed demonstrators, and Palestinians to prevent attacks and punish those who perpetrated them.
In the run-up to his inauguration, Obama had resisted pressure to speak out on the three-week Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip launched on Dec. 27, insisting there was "only one president at a time" to represent the United States abroad.
But he promised to reach out to Muslims worldwide, telling those of Islamic faith that he would "seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect."
Mitchell will be appointed on Wednesday following the Senate”s expected confirmation of Hillary Clinton as Obama’s secretary of state, The Washington Post newspaper said quoting Obama aides.
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said appointing Mitchell would show Obama”s determination to reclaim U.S. leadership on Middle East peace issues.
"This is a president who appears to be serious on the Middle East from day one. This is an appointment that sends the message, “I”m ready to solve this,”" Zogby told Reuters.
Mitchell brokered talks between Roman Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland in an effort that led to the 1998 Good Friday Accord aimed at stemming the long-standing conflict there.
He is the son of a Lebanese immigrant mother, and of an Irish father who when orphaned was adopted by a Lebanese family.