Former US president Bill Clinton will deliver a speech at the Democratic Party’s national convention later this month, party officials said today.
The confirmation follows weeks of speculation over the former president's potential role after his wife Hillary was beaten by Barack Obama in a prolonged and often bitter primary campaign.
Mr Clinton often overshadowed his wife on the campaign trail and made headlines across the world when many US pundits thought he was belittling Mr Obama's success in South Carolina.
In one televised debate, Mr Obama said he sometimes "did not know which Clinton he was running against".
But he will now deliver a key speech on the third night of the convention, August 27th, in Denver, Colorado, before an address by Mr Obama's running mate, who has not yet been named.
The 47-year-old Illinois senator, who flew to Hawaii today for a week-long break from the campaign trail, dismissed suggestions that tension between his supporters and Mrs Clinton's could upset the gathering.
Yesterday, the two Democratic senators pledged that their party would be united.
Both campaigns issued a joint statement of unity amid conflicting reports over whether New York senator Mrs Clinton will include her name in the delegate roll call at the convention.
The joint statement read: "At the Democratic Convention, we will ensure that the voices of everyone who participated in this historic process are respected and our party will be fully unified heading into the November election."
Some Clinton supporters have said they intend to disrupt the nomination process if they feel the 60-year-old New York senator is not accorded proper deference at the convention. Their demands include that her name is entered into contention, and the votes of her delegates officially recorded.