“Senator Mitchell has a well deserved reputation for extraordinary fairness—which will be essential in helping to negotiate a permanent and lasting peace in the Middle East.

“When he was Senate Majority Leader everyone—Democrats and Republicans—had enormous respect for him because they always found him to be fair.  Even those who disagreed with him trusted him because they knew he would treat them fairly.

“The same thing happened in Northern Ireland.  Two sides that had very little trust in each other found that they could trust Senator Mitchell, and he was able to help them finally negotiate an end to the conflict there.

“Senator Mitchell has experience in the Middle East--he went on a fact-finding mission to the region and produced the Mitchell report—a widely respected assessment of the situation in the area.

“And when Senator Mitchell  was asked to look into the use of steroids there was some concern that he wouldn’t be even-handed—but in the end everyone agrees he was once again fair to everyone involved.

“I look forward to the Obama Administration taking a more active role in helping bring about a settlement to the conflict in the Middle East.  And I can think of no one better to serve the Administration in the region than George Mitchell.”