Obama names special envoys

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Source: CCTV.com | 01-23-2009 09:19

President Barack Obama has also named special envoys for the Middle East and the Afghanistan-Pakistan regions. And he promised US help in ensuring a lasting truce in Gaza.

US President Barack Obama listens alongside Richard Holbrooke (L), newly named Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, as George Mitchell (R), newly named Special Envoy to the Middle East, speaks at the State Department in Washington, DC.(AFP/Saul Loeb)

Thursday saw a flurry of diplomatic activity in Obama's first week in office as he chose former senator George Mitchell as an envoy who will try to jump-start moribund Arab-Israeli peace talks.

Obama also tapped former UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke as a special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Both men are seasoned international trouble-shooters with records of success in helping settle long-running violent conflicts Mitchell in Northern Ireland and Holbrooke in the Balkans.