Obama sends Mitchell to Middle East

President Obama is sending former Sen. George Mitchell to the Middle East, just days after naming the Maine Democrat as his envoy for the troubled region.

Obama met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mitchell, who will travel to Cairo, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Amman, Riyadh, Paris and London, at the White House Monday afternoon shortly before Mitchell was scheduled to depart.

{mosads}“The cause of peace in the Middle East is important to the United States and our national interests,” Obama said. “It’s important to me personally. It is important to Arabs and Jews. It is important to Christians, and Muslims, and Jews all around the world.”

Obama said Mitchell is fully empowered by the White House and by Clinton “so when he speaks, he will be speaking for us.”

Obama said that after returning from this initial trip, he is hopeful Mitchell “will be able to give us some ideas in terms of how we can solidify the cease-fire, ensure Israel’s security, also ensure that Palestinians in Gaza are able to get the basic necessities they need and that they can see a pathway towards long-term development that will be so critical in order for us to achieve a lasting peace.”