WASHINGTON - In his first major diplomatic moves since his inauguration, United
States President Barack Obama on Thursday named two accomplished negotiators,
former Senate majority leader George Mitchell and ambassador Richard Holbrooke,
as special envoys to deal with the Israel-Arab conflict and "the deteriorating
situation" in Afghanistan and Pakistan, respectively.
At a mid-afternoon briefing hosted by his just-confirmed Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, Obama, who was accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, said
the two appointments underscored his commitment to "actively and aggressively
seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians as well as Israel and
its Arab neighbors" and to urgently address what he called "the central
front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism", in Afghanistan
and Pakistan.
He said Mitchell, who, after retiring from the Senate in 1994, negotiated the
Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland, will travel to
the Middle East "as soon as possible" and "will be fully empowered at the
negotiating table ... ".
He also said he was "deeply concerned by the loss of Palestinian and Israeli
life in recent days and by the substantial suffering and humanitarian needs in
Gaza", but re-iterated the George W Bush administration's position that it
would not deal directly with Hamas, which controls Gaza, unless it recognizes
Israel's right to exist, renounces violence, and agrees to abide by past
accords negotiated between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and
Israel.
All US humanitarian and reconstruction aid, he said, would be channeled through
the Palestinian Authority which holds power only on the West Bank.
In naming Holbrooke, who negotiated the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords that ended
the war in Bosnia, as "special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan",
Obama described the veteran diplomat's role as "leading our effort to forge and
implement a strategic and sustainable approach to this critical region".
"There is no answer in Afghanistan that does not confront the al-Qaeda and
Taliban bases along the border, and there will be no lasting peace unless we
expand spheres of opportunity for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan," he
said. "This is truly an international challenge of the highest order," he
added.
The new president had also been expected to appoint former ambassador Dennis
Ross, president Bill Clinton's special Middle East envoy, to a third post that
would handle US relations with Iran, whose geostrategic position and increasing
regional influence are certain to make it a major player - and possibly a
spoiler - in US peace efforts both in the Middle East and in Southwest Asia.
But Ross's aggressive campaign for the post, as well as his close association
with key groups that make up the so-called "Israel Lobby", appears to have
incited a backlash among key Obama advisers, reportedly including Clinton
herself, that may have delayed his appointment. According to some sources, its
precise terms are still being negotiated.
Obama's appearance at the State Department capped a busy foreign policy agenda
on his third day in office. Earlier in the day, he signed executive orders that
banned the use by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of secret overseas
prisons and interrogation techniques that go beyond the non-coercive methods
permitted by the Army Field Manual and committed his administration to closing
the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within one year.
He also ordered a cabinet-level review of what to do with those of the 245
prisoners remaining in detention who are considered a threat to US security or
who could face persecution and torture if they are repatriated to their home
countries.
"The orders that I signed today should send an unmistakable signal that our
actions in defense of liberty will be as just as our cause and that we, the
people, will uphold our fundamental values as vigilantly as we protect our
security," he declared at the State Department. "Once again, America's moral
example must be the bedrock and the beacon of our global leadership."
Obama's appearance at the State Department - which was rarely visited by his
predecessor Bush - came hours after Clinton, who was confirmed by the Senate in
her new position on Wednesday, introduced herself to the employees there.
His appearance seemed designed to demonstrate his confidence both in his former
political rival and in the Foreign Service, whose morale has been badly
battered by the dominant role taken by the Pentagon in determining Washington's
relationship with the rest of the world under the Bush administration and in
its "global war on terror". But the main item of business was the appointment
of the two new envoys.
Mitchell, whose possible nomination for the Middle East post first surfaced
just a few days ago, not only played a key role in bringing peace to Northern
Ireland, but he also chaired a commission appointed by former president Clinton
after the outbreak in September 2000 of the second intifada in the Occupied
Territories.
The commission published its report in April 2001. It urged the Palestinian
Authority, then under president Yasser Arafat, to implement tougher measures to
halt Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets, as well as the strict
implementation of a freeze on all new settlement activity in the territories
and East Jerusalem by Israel.
By then, however, Bush had taken office in Washington and proved unwilling to
press Israel's new prime minister, Ariel Sharon, to abide by the
recommendations.
"Mitchell showed a real understanding for the narrative of both the
Palestinians and the Israelis and, had his recommendations been pursued by the
Bush administration, the whole region would look very different today," said
Daniel Levy, a former Israeli peace negotiator with the New America Foundation
in Washington who praised Mitchell's appointment.
The relatively balanced nature of Mitchell's recommendations earned him the
distrust of some in the right-wing leadership of the "Israel Lobby" who quietly
lobbied against his appointment, according to knowledgeable sources. The fact
that Mitchell's mother was a Lebanese immigrant and that his long-time service
and leadership in the Senate gives him considerable clout with his former
colleagues in Congress has reportedly added to their unease. In addition, as
special envoy, it appears that he will report directly to the White House as
well as to Clinton.
In brief remarks on Thursday, Mitchell said his experience in helping end an
800-year-old conflict in Northern Ireland convinced him "that there is no such
thing as a conflict that can't be ended" - a message, he added, that he had
delivered in Jerusalem to an Israeli audience just last month. "I believe that
with committed, persevering and patient diplomacy, it can happen in the Middle
East," he said.
Holbrooke, who made little secret of his hopes of serving as secretary of state
if Clinton had won the presidency, had long been rumored as the most likely
candidate for the Afghanistan-Pakistan portfolio, although, when plans to
create the post first surfaced they explicitly included covering India as part
of its scope.
Over the past year, a consensus among both military and civilian regional
experts has developed that, to gain Islamabad's full cooperation in the battle
against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, its army will have to be reassured about
Delhi's intentions. The two countries will need to build greater confidence
between them, a task that has been made more challenging in the wake of the
terrorist attack on Mumbai in November.
Holbrooke, whose aggressive diplomatic methods are legendary, reportedly agrees
that India's engagement is indispensable.
After vociferous objections by Indian officials concerned that they would come
under US pressure to compromise on Kashmir, among other issues, Obama's
advisers changed the portfolio to "Afghanistan/Pakistan", but few doubt that
Holbrooke will be making frequent trips to Delhi and other regional capitals.
Jim Lobe's blog on US foreign policy can be read at http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/.
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