Key Good Friday peacebroker begins work on Obama team

One of the key peace brokers in the North started work today as part of Barack Obama’s revamped US foreign policy.

George Mitchell, who won plaudits for his role in helping secure the Good Friday Agreement, is the new administration’s Middle East envoy.

He will spearhead US efforts to negotiate a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

And former United Nations ambassador Richard Holbrooke has been appointed special envoy to Afghanistan, whose situation the new president described as “perilous”.

The announcements came last night as Mr Obama vowed to “refocus attention and resources” on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In what is being seen as a major break with the previous Bush regime, he also signed orders to close Guantanamo Bay and ban the use of torture.

The controversial detention camp will be shut within a year, Mr Obama decreed, while the “waterboarding” of terror suspects – a technique which simulates the sensation of drowning – will be outlawed.

Attention also turned to the US economy, with the president receiving the first of what will now become a daily briefing on the deepening financial crisis.

Former senator Mr Mitchell, 75, said he did not underestimate the difficulty of his new assignment, but added there was “no such thing” as a conflict that could not be ended.

The process in the North was difficult, he said, adding that the power-sharing government in the province had put an end to an ancient conflict.

“In the negotiations we had 700 days of failure and one day of success,” he said.

“Most of the time progress was non-existent or very slow.”

Unveiling Mr Holbrooke, Mr Obama gave a bleak assessment of the situation in Afghanistan.

“The American people and the international community must understand that the situation is perilous and that progress will take time,” he said.

The president also said the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan remained a refuge for members of al Qaida and Taliban militants who were destabilising the area.

Mr Obama’s move on Guantanamo Bay had been anticipated as he had called for the camp’s closure before Tuesday’s inauguration.

Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was opened in 2002 as a centre to keep suspected terrorists.

It is estimated that around 245 men are currently being held at the US naval base, many of whom have been there for years.

The camp became a focus of criticism during the Bush regime. Many questioned the legality of detention without trial, while persistent allegations of torture damaged the US’s standing abroad.

As a result of yesterday’s executive orders, US personnel will have to follow strict guidelines when it comes to interrogating suspects.

Announcing the orders, Mr Obama said: “We intend to win this fight (against terrorism), but we are going to win it on our terms.”

Earlier in the day, Mr Obama met key economic advisers to discuss the deepening recession in the US. The White House later announced that a daily briefing on the situation would take place.

The Democrats are currently pushing forward with plans for an $825bn (€639bn) stimulus plan to revive the flat-lined economy.

The package of tax cuts and spending could be put before Congress as early as next week.