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 Under Secretary for Political Affairs > Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs

 
Date: 01/20/2009 Description: Blue envelope icon, used for email subscriptions. State Dept Photo Sign up for Near Eastern Affairs email updates.

The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), headed by Acting Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Feltman, deals with U.S. foreign policy and U.S. diplomatic relations with Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Regional policy issues that NEA handles include Iraq, Middle East peace, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, and political and economic reform. Clickable Map

President Obama Delivers Message on Ramadan 
Date: 08/21/2009 Description: President Barack Obama's videotaped message on Ramadan. © White House ImagePresident Obama (Aug. 21): "I know this to be a festive time – a time when families gather and meals are shared. But I also know that Ramadan is a time of intense devotion and reflection – a time when Muslims fast during the day and perform tarawih prayers at night, reciting and listening to the entire Koran over the course of the month. These rituals remind us of the principles that we hold in common, and Islam’s role in advancing justice, progress, tolerance, and the dignity of all human beings."  -Full Text -Video -Also available in: Amharic | Arabic | Bengali | Dari | French | Hindi | Indonesian | Malay | Pashto | Persian | Punjabi | Russian | Turkish | Urdu

President Obama Welcomes Egyptian President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak
Date: 08/18/2009 Description: President Obama shakes hands with Egyptian President Mubarak in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2009. © AP Image
President Obama (Aug. 18): "The United States and Egypt have worked together closely for many years, and for many of those years President Mubarak has been a leader and a counselor and a friend to the United States. We obviously have a lot of great challenges that have to be dealt with and we are continuing to work together to find those areas where we can find common ground and to work in concert to bring peace and security to the region." -Full Text

U.S.-Jordanian Partnership Based on Mutual Respect and Mutual Interest
Date: 08/03/2009 Location: Treaty Room, U.S. State Department Description: Secretary Clinton Meets With Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh. © State Dept ImageSecretary Clinton (Aug. 3): "Today, the foreign minister and I discussed a wide range of issues. I thanked the foreign minister for Jordan’s leadership in the effort to achieve a comprehensive peace for all the people of the Middle East. The vision and courage of the late King Hussein continues to provide inspiration to all of us who knew him and who are still on the path towards seeking peace. And now, under the courageous leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah, Jordan has continued to play a strong and vital role." -Full Text

Secretary Clinton Meets With Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal
Date: 07/31/2009 Location: State Department's Treaty Room Description: Secretary Clinton Remarks With Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal. © State Dept ImageSecretary Clinton (July 31): "I think it is so self-evident but bears repeating that Saudi Arabia has been a close friend and ally of the United States for many years. Our partnership is grounded in mutual respect and mutual interest. Our two nations seek to maintain an open and active dialogue on a wide range of bilateral, regional, and global challenges, including achieving a comprehensive peace in the Middle East based on the two-state solution, ending Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, confronting violent extremism, and encouraging economic recovery and growth." Full Text

Foreign Policy Address at the Council on Foreign Relations
Date: 07/15/2009 Location: Washington, DC Description: Secretary Clinton's Foreign Policy Address at the Council on Foreign Relations © State Dept ImageSecretary Clinton (July 15): "In approaching our foreign policy priorities, we have to deal with the urgent, the important, and the long-term all at once. But even as we are forced to multi-task – a very gender-related term (laughter) – we must have priorities, which President Obama has outlined in speeches from Prague to Cairo, from Moscow to Accra. We want to reverse the spread of nuclear weapons, prevent their use, and build a world free of their threat. We want to isolate and defeat terrorists and counter violent extremists while reaching out to Muslims around the world. We want to encourage and facilitate the efforts of all parties to pursue and achieve a comprehensive peace in the Middle East." -Full Text

George Mitchell is Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. -Visit

Middle East Digest
The "Middle East Digest" is a collection of excerpts from the U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefings that are related to U.S. foreign policy interests in the Middle East.

U.S. Condemns Baghdad Bombings
Department Spokesman Kelly (Aug. 19): "The United States strongly condemns this morning’s coordinated attack against the institutions of government in Baghdad resulting in the deaths of dozens of people and the wounding of several hundred others. We understand the foreign ministry in Baghdad sustained serious damage with multiple deaths and injuries." -Full Text -Statement by Ambassador Hill

-Country Reports on Terrorism

-Human Rights Reports

-International Narcotics Control Strategy Reports

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