Remarks by Secretary Clinton and Special Envoy Mitchell After Their Meeting
February 03, 2009
Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State
George Mitchell, Special Envoy for Middle East Peace
Washington, DC
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning. I welcomed our Special Envoy George Mitchell back from his trip to the Middle East and Europe this morning, and we were able to have a long discussion about what he heard and learned in the region. This kind of diplomatic force projection that Special Envoy Mitchell represents is something that both the President and I believe very strongly in, and I was pleased that the President agreed to appoint Senator Mitchell. And of course, he quickly sprang into action.
He has described to me the steps that he discussed with the various parties to obtain a sustainable and durable ceasefire. We especially commend Egypt for its leadership role in working through the complex issues concerning a ceasefire. Senator Mitchell also discussed how we can better mobilize humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza and to coordinate the efforts underway or anticipated in the international community.
This is the first of what will be an ongoing, high level of engagement by Senator Mitchell on behalf of myself and the President. We are looking to work with all of the parties to try to help them make progress toward a negotiated agreement that would end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, create an independent and viable Palestinian state in both the West Bank and Gaza, and provide Israel with the peace and security that it has sought.
We are looking forward to the results of the Israeli elections so that we can begin working with a new Israeli government. We are working with the Palestinian Authority under President Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad to support their efforts to continue the progress that they have made in providing security and meeting the needs of the Palestinian people.
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| 03.02.2009 | 23:00 UTC
Steinmeier meets US secretary of state in Washington
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described Germany as one of Washington’s closest allies. Clinton made the statement following a meeting with visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Washington. This was the first face-to-face contact between the German government and the administration of US President Barack Obama. Clinton said she had thanked Steinmeier in particular for Germany’s commitment to efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan. Germany has more than 3,000 troops in that country as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. Steinmeier focused his comments to reporters on the need to establish a new trans-Atlantic agenda. Both Steinmeier and Clinton expressed concerns about the news that Iran had succeeded in launching its first domestically built satellite. Iranian state television said the satellite was designed for use for peaceful purposes only.
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