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.
Under Secretary Burns Travel to Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Azerbaijan
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Bill Burns will travel to Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Azerbaijan from February 16-19. Full Text»
Secretary Clinton Traveling to Qatar and Saudi Arabia
Secretary Clinton is traveling to Qatar and Saudi Arabia from February 13-16. Full Text» More on the Secretary's trip»
President Names Special Envoy to Islamic Conference
On February 13, 2010, President Obama appointed Rashad Hussain to serve as his Special Envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).As Special Envoy to the OIC, Rashad Hussain will deepen and expand the partnerships that the United States has pursued with Muslims around the world since President Obama's speech in Cairo last June. Full Text»
Middle East Peace Initiative
Secretary Clinton (Feb. 11): "This Administration has, from the beginning, worked to bring about comprehensive peace in the Middle East, including a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." Full Text»
Attacks on Iraqi Shi'a Pilgrims
Secretary Clinton (Feb. 5): "The United States condemns the series of bombing attacks against Shi’a pilgrims in Iraq over the past week. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families." Full Text»
Iraqi Elections
Assistant Secretary Crowley (Feb. 2): "We are saying the same thing to Iraq today that we have in past years: Have an effective political process, an inclusive political process, one that gives all segments of Iraqi society an opportunity to contribute to Iraq’s future." Full Text»
Secretary Clinton Meets With Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani 
Secretary Clinton
(Jan. 26): "...It is indeed an honor for me to welcome President Barzani here to the State Department. President Barzani had excellent discussions with both President Obama and Vice President Biden at the White House yesterday. And we will cover a number of important issues as part of our strong support of the Kurdish Regional Government and the Kurdish people as part of a unified Iraq." Full Text»
Special Briefing on Yemen
Coordinator Benjamin (Jan. 25): "The Secretary will be discussing Yemen, along with 21 other – leaders from 21 other countries later this week at the conference in London. Obviously, she views this as being an enormously important matter and is missing the State of the Union for that reason." Full Text»
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The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA), headed by 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
Secretary Clinton (Feb. 14): "The first and critical area is our ongoing efforts to advance a comprehensive peace in the Middle East -- one that brings peace for Israelis, Palestinians, Syrians, and Lebanese, as well as the full normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab states." Full Text» Question and Answer Session» Remarks by President Obama» More on Trip» Treasury Targets Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Feb. 10)
The U.S. Department of the Treasury today took further action to implement existing U.S. sanctions against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by designating an individual and four companies affiliated with the IRGC pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13382, which freezes the assets of designated proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters. Full Text»
Yemen on the Brink: Implications for U.S. Policy
Assistant Secretary Feltman (Feb. 3): "U.S. strategy toward Yemen is two-pronged: (1) strengthen the Government of Yemen’s ability to promote security and minimize the threat from violent extremists within its borders, and (2 )mitigate Yemen’s economic crisis and deficiencies in government capacity, provision of services, transparency, and adherence to the rule of law." Full Text»
Secretary Clinton Meets With Iraqi Vice President Dr. Tariq Hashimi
Secretary Clinton (Feb. 2): "I’m delighted to welcome the vice president here today. He has already had the opportunity to meet with the President, the Vice President, and this afternoon we’ll have the chance to go into more detail about what’s happening in Iraq and the kind of challenges that are being faced and overcome every day." Full Text»
Statement before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Yemen
Assistant Secretary Feltman (Jan. 20): "Due to increasing concerns about instability in and threats emanating from Yemen, the Obama administration decided to undertake a full-scale review of our Yemen policy, under the aegis of the National Security Council, in the spring of 2009. The primary threat to U.S. interests in Yemen and a grave threat to the security and stability of the Government of Yemen (ROYG) is the presence of Al-Qaeda-related extremists in the country." Full Text» Remarks by Coordinator for Counterterrorism Benjamin»
Assistant Secretary David Johnson Visits Beirut; Meets With ISF Command
Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs arrived in Beirut Sunday, January 10, 2010, to observe the U.S.-funded capacity building program for the Internal Security Forces (ISF). While in Beirut, Ambassador Johnson and U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison met with the command staff of the ISF led by Director General Achraf Rifi. Full Text»
