Former US senator and key figure in the Northern Ireland peace process, George Mitchell, has been appointed special envoy to the Middle East by US president Barack Obama.
In a flurry of diplomatic activity in his first week in office, US president Mr Obama today named special envoys for two of the world's hot spots: the Middle East and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
He chose George Mitchell, a former senator and seasoned international trouble-shooter, as an envoy who will try to jumpstart moribund Arab-Israeli peace talks. Mr Mitchell played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process and was appointed chancellor of Queen's University, Belfast, in 1999.
Mr Obama also named former ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke as a special envoy for Afghanistan, Pakistan and related issues.
The US president said he would send Mr Mitchell to the Middle East "as soon as possible" in a bid to get lasting peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
"It will be the policy of my administration to actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians as well as Israel and its Arab neighbours," Mr Obama said.
Mr Obama also said the outline for a "durable ceasefire" was clear.
"Hamas must end its rocket fire, Israel will complete the withdrawal of its forces from Gaza. The United States and our partners will support a credible anti-smuggling and interdiction regime so that Hamas cannot rearm".
Mr Mitchell (75), grew up in Waterville, Maine, the son of a Lebanese immigrant and an Irish-American janitor.
He was appointed to the Senate in 1980 and elected in 1982, serving as Senate majority leader from 1989 to 1995. After leaving the senate in that year, he was sent to Northern Ireland in 1995 as US special envoy. He chaired the all-party peace negotiations until the signing of the Belfast Agreement on Good Friday, 1998.
Mr Mitchell also led a commission appointed by former US president Bill Clinton to find ways to halt Israeli-Palestinian violence. His 2001 report called for Israelis to freeze construction of new settlements and stop shooting at unarmed demonstrators, and for Palestinians to prevent militant attacks and punish those who perpetrate them.
He also headed an investigation into illegal steroid use in baseball. His 2007 report named 89 players with links to steroids, including stars such as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.
Mr Mitchell is currently a partner at the law firm DLA Piper. He has served as chairman of Walt Disney and as a director of the Boston Red Sox baseball team.
Mr Mitchell has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but his law firm said in 2007 it is treatable.
Additional reporting: Reuters