Arab League chief praises Obama's Mideast envoy as 'honest broker'
'What we need is a policy change,' Amr Moussa said, implicitly criticizing the Bush administration.
By The Associated Press Tags: George Mitchell Barack Obama Israel news Arab LeaguePresident Barak Obama's call for change raises hope that the United States will take on the role of "honest broker" in the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, the Arab League secretary-general said Wednesday.
Amr Moussa, the veteran Egyptian diplomat who has headed the 22-member group for nearly eight years, singled out Obama's appointment of former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell as Mideast envoy as a hopeful change.
"Mr. Mitchell is the personification of the honest broker," Moussa said in a public discussion at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"What we need is a policy change," he said, implicitly criticizing the Bush administration as tilting in Israel's favor.
After talks in European capitals, Mitchell is due to head to the Middle East, his second trip to the region for the Obama administration. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to follow next week for talks in Israel and the Palestinians.
While Moussa appeared optimistic about the new administration's stance, he rebuked Israel for not ending settlements on the West Bank.
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