Mitchell to Middle East

ABC News’ Kirit Radia reports:

President Obama is wasting no time jumping into the messy business
of brokering Middle East peace. On Monday he sent his new envoy, former
Sen. George Mitchell, on his first official trip to the region.

"He’s going out to listen," said State Department spokesman Robert
Wood. "He wants to hear what the leaders have to say.  And he’s going
to report back to the secretary and the president on his trip and we’ll
begin to continue formulating policy from there."

When announcing the appointment of his envoys at the State Dept last
Thursday, Obama said he would be sending Mitchell to the region "as
soon as possible to help the parties ensure that the cease-fire that
has been achieved is made durable and sustainable."

Mitchell’s itinerary reflects his broad mandate to bring peace to the Holy Land.

Stops in Jerusalem, Ramallah, and Cairo will aim to revive badly
damaged peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians and seek to
ensure a fragile ceasefire in Gaza holds. A possible stop in Turkey
will try to jumpstart Turkish mediated peace talks with Syria. A visit
to Saudi Arabia is a nod to the Saudi-backed Arab Peace Initiative,
which Obama said Thursday "contains constructive elements that could
help advance these efforts." Mitchell will also make stops in Europe to
make sure allies are all on board.

Spokesman Wood elaborated, "Special Envoy Mitchell will work to
consolidate the cease-fire in Gaza, establish an effective and credible
anti-smuggling and interdiction regime to prevent the rearming of
Hamas, facilitate the reopening of border crossings, and develop an
effective response to the immediate humanitarian needs of the
Palestinians in Gaza and eventual reconstruction, and reinvigorate the
peace process."

Mitchell is no stranger to the Middle East peace process. He
authored a 2001 report calling on Israel to halt construction of new
settlements and urging Palestinians to abandon terror tactics.

The former Senator from Maine also helped mediate a peace in
Northern Ireland. He referenced his success there as an example for the
Middle East when he was appointed last week, affirming, "there is no
such thing as a conflict that can’t be ended. Conflicts are created,
conducted and sustained by human beings; they can be ended by human
beings."