Syria Today | Mitchell applies for Syrian visa

Mitchell applies for Syrian visa

Top US Middle East envoy George Mitchell has applied for a visa to Syria, Al-Hurra TV reported on May 15. The US State Department cautioned, however, that the landmark visit was not set in stone.

US State Department Deputy Spokesman Robert Wood confirmed to reporters in Washington that Mitchell and his aides had applied for visas to Syria. He warned, however, that Mitchell had yet to make a final decision about the trip which would only take place when the time was “appropriate”.

“Mitchell and his team continue to apply for visas to many countries in the region, including Syria, so we are ready and able to visit those countries when appropriate,” Wood said. “Senator Mitchell has not yet decided upon a trip to Syria.”

Mitchell’s trip to Syria would be the most high-profile visit by a US official since President Barack Obama took office last January. The Obama administration has been pursuing a policy of engagement with Syria, sending a string of US envoys to Damascus over the past few months to meet with government officials.

Mitchell, a former Senate majority leader, served as chairman of a presidential fact-finding committee examining the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. His team produced a report in 2001 which called on Israel to stop building settlements and urged the Palestinians to crack down on militant activity.

Mitchell also served as US special envoy for Northern Ireland under former US President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. He was tasked with tackling sectarian violence in Northern Ireland and chaired the peace negotiations that culminated in the historic Good Friday agreement in 1998. Mitchell earned an honorary knighthood from the UK for his role in the peace talks and in 1999 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honour.