All thumbs up on signal by Obama
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Fulya Özerkan
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 22, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - Policymakers and analysts see likely future US envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell as an encouraging signal that Washington wants to bring balance back into its policy for the region. Considering Mitchell’s background and credentials, he seems to be the perfect man for the job.
Signals this week from U.S. President Barack Obama point to former Northern Ireland peacemaker George Mitchell as his Middle East envoy, instilling policymakers and analysts with hope for a balanced U.S. engagement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I consider the choice, if officially confirmed, as a very positive development," Şükrü Elekdağ, deputy of the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review yesterday.
Elekdağ based his assessment on a 2001 report, drafted by the so-called Mitchell committee following an inquiry into the Israeli-Palestinian violence that broke out in September 2000, which warned that the situation would keep getting worse unless both sides took swift and decisive action.
At the request of then U.S. President Bill Clinton, Mitchell served as chairman of the international fact-finding committee that also included former Turkish President Süleyman Demirel.
The committee recommendation, widely known as the Mitchell Report, was adopted by the Bush administration as its policy in the region and has been endorsed by the European Union and many other governments. "That was a balanced report," said Elekdağ, a close witness to the time. The report urged the Israelis and the Palestinians to reaffirm their commitment to existing agreements and to ensure an immediate, unconditional cease-fire.
Faruk Loğoğlu, former Turkish ambassador to Washington, deemed the U.S. plan to appoint a special envoy for the Middle East as a "good step" but warned against possible risks."Appointing a Middle East envoy should not mean the Obama administration's retirement from the region," said Loğoğlu. "The upcoming days could see important results only if Mitchell approaches the region with a certain understanding and policy."
A former judge, senator and statesman, Mitchell contributed to the historic 1998 Good Friday peace accord between Roman Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland that ended the decades-old conflict. He chaired peace negotiations in Northern Ireland and for his service received awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the U.S. government.
"If President Obama indeed does appoint George Mitchell I think it would be an extremely a positive step," Joost Hiltermann, deputy program director for the Middle East of the International Crisis Group, told the Daily News.
"First of all he is a very capable diplomat because of his extensive experience and a lot of standing in the region. And of course he has a Lebanese background; he is an Arab-American and would come across as encouraging in the Arab world, which is used to a different profile within the U.S. administration," he said.
Mitchell is the son of a Lebanese immigrant mother and of an Irish father who was orphaned and adopted by a Lebanese family.
Hiltermann said the appointment would not mean an end to the U.S. alliance with Israel but would bring more balance to U.S. policy in the region.
"I consider the choice, if officially confirmed, as a very positive development," Şükrü Elekdağ, deputy of the main opposition Republican People's Party, or CHP, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review yesterday.
Elekdağ based his assessment on a 2001 report, drafted by the so-called Mitchell committee following an inquiry into the Israeli-Palestinian violence that broke out in September 2000, which warned that the situation would keep getting worse unless both sides took swift and decisive action.
At the request of then U.S. President Bill Clinton, Mitchell served as chairman of the international fact-finding committee that also included former Turkish President Süleyman Demirel.
The committee recommendation, widely known as the Mitchell Report, was adopted by the Bush administration as its policy in the region and has been endorsed by the European Union and many other governments. "That was a balanced report," said Elekdağ, a close witness to the time. The report urged the Israelis and the Palestinians to reaffirm their commitment to existing agreements and to ensure an immediate, unconditional cease-fire.
Faruk Loğoğlu, former Turkish ambassador to Washington, deemed the U.S. plan to appoint a special envoy for the Middle East as a "good step" but warned against possible risks."Appointing a Middle East envoy should not mean the Obama administration's retirement from the region," said Loğoğlu. "The upcoming days could see important results only if Mitchell approaches the region with a certain understanding and policy."
A former judge, senator and statesman, Mitchell contributed to the historic 1998 Good Friday peace accord between Roman Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland that ended the decades-old conflict. He chaired peace negotiations in Northern Ireland and for his service received awards including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor bestowed by the U.S. government.
"If President Obama indeed does appoint George Mitchell I think it would be an extremely a positive step," Joost Hiltermann, deputy program director for the Middle East of the International Crisis Group, told the Daily News.
"First of all he is a very capable diplomat because of his extensive experience and a lot of standing in the region. And of course he has a Lebanese background; he is an Arab-American and would come across as encouraging in the Arab world, which is used to a different profile within the U.S. administration," he said.
Mitchell is the son of a Lebanese immigrant mother and of an Irish father who was orphaned and adopted by a Lebanese family.
Hiltermann said the appointment would not mean an end to the U.S. alliance with Israel but would bring more balance to U.S. policy in the region.