George Mitchell is Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. -Visit
Middle East Digest
The "Middle East Digest" is a collection of excerpts from the U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefings that are related to U.S. foreign policy interests in the Middle East.
Persecution of Religious Minorities in Iran
Assistant Secretary Crowley (Mar. 12): "In recent weeks, authorities detained at least 25 Baha’is. Reports indicate there have been more than 45 new detentions of Baha'is in the last four months alone, and currently as many as 60 Baha'is are imprisoned in Iran solely on the basis of their religious beliefs." Full Text»
Case of Missing U.S. Citizen Robert Levinson
Assistant Secretary Crowley (Mar. 9): "Today marks the three-year anniversary of the disappearance of U.S. citizen Robert Levinson, who went missing in Iran during a business trip to Kish Island in 2007. Mr. Levinson will remain a priority for the United States until he is reunited with his family." Full Text»
Iraqi National Elections
Secretary Clinton (Mar. 7): "I congratulate all the people of Iraq who participated in national elections today.... Iraqis have chosen a new government to lead their country at a critical time." Full Text» Statement by Ambassador Hill and Gen. Odierno»
President Names Special Envoy to Islamic Conference
On February 13, 2010, President Obama appointed Rashad Hussain to serve as his Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).As Special Envoy to the OIC, Rashad Hussain will deepen and expand the partnerships that the United States has pursued with Muslims around the world since President Obama's speech in Cairo last June. Full Text»
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The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), headed by Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Feltman, deals with U.S. foreign policy and U.S. diplomatic relations with Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Regional policy issues that NEA handles include Iraq, Middle East peace, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and political and economic reform. -Clickable Map
Joint Statement by the Quartet
The Quartet – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell, and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union Catherine Ashton – met in Moscow on March 19, 2010. They were joined by Quartet Representative Tony Blair. Joint Statement»
Iraqi Women Provincial Council Leaders
Secretary Clinton (Mar. 16): "Today I had the privilege of meeting with twenty-two Iraqi women provincial council leaders and an influential civil society leader from Anbar. These women are visiting the United States to participate in an exchange of ideas on public service in the U.S. and in Iraq." Full Text»
Execution of Political Prisoners in Iran
Assistant Secretary Crowley (Mar. 5): "The United States notes with great concern reports the Iranian courts have upheld a death sentence for 20-year-old university student Mohammad Amin Valian. Valian was arrested for throwing stones during the December 27 Ashura demonstrations, a crime to which he confessed." Full Text»
Comprehensive Peace in the Middle East
Assistant Secretary Crowley (Mar. 2): "...We have a shared goal of comprehensive peace in the Middle East. And we think we are at a point in time where there’s some reason to believe that the parties are getting closer to the kind of discussions that we think will lead to resolving the complex issues that they face." Daily press briefing»
