THE political future of former Senator George Mitchell, who chairs the multi party talks in Belfast, is being decided by President Clinton this weekend at his Camp David retreat.
While the President rests after his strenuous Asian and Australian tour, he is making final decisions on the shape of his new cabinet, which will take office following the presidential inauguration on January 20th.
Mr Mitchell is still favoured as, the front runner for Secretary of State, but he slipped in the betting stakes when Mr Clinton did not name him as expected before he departed on his tour. The name of Mr Richard Holbrooke, the former diplomat who brokered the Bosnian peace agreement, has now surfaced as a serious rival.
The other names most frequently mentioned for the top foreign affairs post are the UN ambassador, Mrs Madeleine Albright, and the former Democratic senator, Mr Sam Nunn. Gen Colin Powell has not been ruled out as the highprofile Republican whom the President wants for his cabinet to mark the bipartisan nature of his second term.
The Secretary of State post is the most senior in a national security team which includes the Secretary of Defence, the National Security Adviser and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The President has been juggling names to fill all these posts so that he has a compatible team.
Mr Mitchell, who "bonded" with Mr Clinton during the election debate rehearsals, is seen in Washington as a "safe pair of hands" for the Secretary of State post. He would lack the flamboyance of Mrs Albright or the brilliance and abrasiveness of Mr Holbrooke.
Mr Mitchell is said to be the, choice of the outgoing secretary, Mr Warren Christopher.
Mr Mitchell was Senate majority leader and is a former judge. But he is also seen as short on experience of foreign policy.
His Lebanese background would help him in negotiations on Middle East problems, but could make his situation more delicate where the Israelis are concerned. It is significant that Mr Mitchell, earlier this month asked to meet the American Israel Public Affairs Committee privately but not to seek its support for his appointment.
The chairman of the committee Mr Steven Grossman, told the New York Times that Mr Mitchell, "made it clear that this was by no means a done deal". He wanted "to re engage the leadership of the pro Israeli community and to make clear what his thoughts were if he became Secretary of State".