Senator George Mitchell Appointed Middle East Peace Envoy

President Barack Obama and the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have named the former Senator George Mitchell, Visiting Professor for Applied Global Ethics, as special envoy for the Middle East.

Senator George Mitchell, who was instrumental in resolving the long running Northern Ireland conflict with the historic Good Friday Agreement, will endeavor to ensure the ceasefire in Gaza and jump-start Arab/Israeli peace talks following the recent 22 day conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Senator is a regular visitor to the University with the Centre for Peace & Conflict Resolution bearing his name.  His illustrious career in the US Senate spanned 14 years. His Services to the peace process in Northern Ireland led to numerous honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the United Nations (UNESCO) Peace Prize.

As noted on the BBC news website Senator Mitchell commented, "Conflicts are created, conducted and sustained by human beings - they can be ended by human beings. I saw it happen in Northern Ireland
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"I believe deeply that with committed and persevering, patient diplomacy it can happen in the Middle East."

The Senator George Mitchell Centre for Peace & Conflict Resolution seeks to embrace these values as reflected in the University's teaching, research and community engagement.