November 30, 2007

The United States on Wednesday named a former NATO commander as its envoy to improve Palestinian security and spur on new peace negotiations with Israel aimed at creating a Palestinian state.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced that General James Jones would serve as her special envoy for Middle East security, as Israel and the Palestinians formally revived peace talks that had been frozen for seven years.

"Security in the Middle East is the surest path to making peace in the Middle East," Rice told reporters in a brief statement with Jones standing by her.

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Determined to Reach a Common Objective

“We knew at the outset that the task would be difficult. We acknowledged that publicly and privately. We knew this would be a road with many bumps— and there have been many bumps—and that continues to this day. But we are not deterred. We are, to the contrary, determined more than ever to proceed to realize the common objective, which we all share, of a Middle East that is at peace with security and prosperity for the people of Israel, for Palestinians, and for all the people in the region. We will continue our efforts in that regard, undeterred and undaunted by the difficulties, the complexities or the bumps in the road.”—George Mitchell, special envoy for Middle East peace, remarks with Prime Minister Netanyahu, September 29, 2010

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