special envoy

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State Department Fires Back at Exiting US Envoy to Haiti

Diplomat accuses US of 'inhumane' policies, and the department says he's distorting facts

(Newser) - The Biden administration’s special envoy to Haiti has resigned, protesting "inhumane" large-scale expulsions of Haitian migrants to their homeland as it is wracked by civil strife and natural disaster, US officials said Thursday. Daniel Foote was appointed to the position in July, following the assassination of Haitian President...

Kofi Annan Quits Role as Syria Envoy

Ban Ki-moon accepts Annan's resignation

(Newser) - Kofi Annan said today he will step down as special envoy for Syria effective Aug. 31, delivering a blistering criticism of world powers' failure to unite over the country's escalating violence. At an impromptu press conference, Annan told reporters he cannot go on when the 15-nation council provides no...

US Ambassador to Afghanistan Stepping Down

Ryan Crocker expected to leave as early as this month

(Newser) - America's special envoy to Afghanistan is preparing to step down after nearly a year in one of diplomacy's most taxing jobs, sources tell Reuters . Ryan Crocker—who came out of retirement last summer to become the US ambassador in Kabul—is expected to leave the post as early...

Marc Grossman New Envoy to Pakistan, Afghanistan

Former ambassador replaces Richard Holbrooke

(Newser) - Former ambassador to Egypt Marc Grossman will be coming out of retirement to take up one of the toughest jobs in diplomacy, administration officials say. Grossman, after months of wrangling between the White House and the State Department, is to become the new special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, filling...

Holbrooke's Last Words: End Afghanistan War

Veteran diplomat made plea for peace on his way to surgery

(Newser) - Richard Holbrooke's dying wish was for an end to the war in Afghanistan, family members say. As he was heading into surgery in a Washington hospital, the late American special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan told his Pakistani surgeon, "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan," relatives...

Fergie Busted Selling Access to Prince Andrew

Duchess of York filmed taking downpayment for intro to ex

(Newser) - Sarah Ferguson is scrambling to apologize after an undercover tabloid reporter filmed her offering to sell access to Prince Andrew for $723,000. "Look after me and he'll look after you," she told a News of the World staffer pretending to be a business exec. "I can...

US, South Korea Offer North 'Grand Bargain' on Nukes

Obama's envoy heading to Pyongyang next month

(Newser) - South Korea's president says he and President Barack Obama have agreed to offer North Korea a "grand bargain" aimed at ending the North's nuclear program. President Lee Myung-bak, speaking at a joint news conference today in Seoul, said the deal would be similar to his proposal for a package...

Clinton Gets Comfy at State
 Clinton Gets Comfy at State 
ANALYSIS
May 1, 2009 5:32 PM CDT

Clinton Gets Comfy at State

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton’s transition from presidential candidate to secretary of state wasn’t easy—and neither is the new gig—but the former first lady has taken it all in stride, the New York Times reports. “I love the job; I mean, it’s really hard,” Clinton said,...

Darfur Crisis Will Worsen in Weeks: US Envoy

(Newser) - The humanitarian situation in Darfur will worsen significantly in just a few weeks if aid organizations do not move quickly, says the new American envoy. Scott Gration said groups expelled by President Omar Bashir last month for allegedly colluding with the International Criminal Court to indict him on war crimes...

Lugar to Obama: Reach Out and Touch Cuba

Senator slams embargo, calls for policy shift, new envoy

(Newser) - As members of Congress move to rethink US-Cuban relations, Sen. Richard Lugar is urging President Obama to take firm action, including initiating direct talks, the Washington Post reports. The Indiana Republican says the US embargo on the country “undermines our broader security and political interests in the Western Hemisphere,...

Clinton Warns North Korea, Names Special Envoy

Special envoy for North Korea named

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton warned an increasingly belligerent North Korea to cease its "provocative and unhelpful" threats toward the South today, the AP reports. In a Seoul press conference, the secretary of state named former US ambassador to South Korea Stephen Bosworth as special envoy for North Korea and said he...

Mitchell to Israel Within the Week

(Newser) - Newly appointed Middle East special envoy George Mitchell will make his first trip to Israel next week, possibly as early as Wednesday, the Jerusalem Post reports. Mitchell is expected to meet with top Israeli officials and leaders of the Palestinian Authority. The main priority will be ensuring that the current...

Mitchell, Holbrooke Named Special Envoys

Former senator gets Mideast portfolio; ex-ambassador Afghanistan and Pakistan

(Newser) - President Obama and newly minted Secretary of State Hillary Clinton moved quickly today to build the administration’s diplomatic efforts, naming George Mitchell and Richard Holbrooke special envoys, Reuters reports; both appointments were expected. Former Sen. Mitchell will focus on facilitating peace talks between Israel and Palestine, while ex-UN ambassador...

Mitchell Considered for Mideast Post

Former senator's portfolio could take chunk out of Clinton's at State

(Newser) - Former Sen. George Mitchell, who led a 2000 commission examining Middle Eastern violence, is being considered as special envoy to the region by the Obama administration, the New York Times reports. The appointment of such a high-profile negotiator would signal Obama’s seriousness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but could deprive...

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