WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- A former U.S. State Department official is questioning the designation of a Mideast envoy so early in Hillary Clinton's tenure as U.S. secretary of state.
Aaron David Miller, author of a study on Middle East diplomacy, says the selection of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, to handle Mideast peace negotiations makes him wonder what Clinton will be doing, Politico reported Friday.
"It's very rare for a secretary of state this early in her tenure to subcontract an issue that's so sexy and politically resonant to a person who could have been the secretary of state," Miller said.
Mitchell was a key player in negotiating a peace agreement in Northern Ireland during the administration of former President Bill Clinton.
Miller told Politico Mitchell combines "proven negotiating skills, fairness in understanding Arab and Israeli requirements, and stature as a senior pol," three elements he said have been missing in recent secretaries of state.
