Friday, 23 January 2009Bethlehem - US President Barack Obama on Thursday appointed former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell to the position of Special Envoy for Middle East Peace.
Mitchell served as America's chief negotiator in the conflict in Northern Ireland, where he was roundly applauded for his role in achieving peace there.
"I don't underestimate the difficulty of this assignment," Mitchell said, acknowledging the "danger" of getting involved in the Palestinian struggle for self-determination.
Mitchell said he is planning to visit the region "as soon as possible."
"But danger and difficulty cannot cause the United States to turn away," he added.
The danger for Obama, however is repeating the mistakes of the Bush administration. While he rhetorically broke with Bush, calling for Gaza's borders to be opened in order to relieve, "suffering" there, he also echoed Bush on certain issues. For example he called on Hamas to stop firing rockets and to recognize Israel.
"I was deeply concerned by the loss of Palestinian and Israeli life in recent days, and by the substantial suffering and humanitarian needs in Gaza," Obama said.
He also said, "Our hearts go out to Palestinian civilians who are in need of immediate food, clean water and basic medical care, and who have faced suffocating poverty for far too long."
"Just as the terror of rocket fire aimed at innocent Israelis, is intolerable, so, too, is a future without hope for the Palestinians," he added.
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Friday, 23 January 2009
Ma'an News
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