Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara, hailed the appointment of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, as a special Middle East envoy.

“I am very pleased at Sen. Mitchell’s appointment as special Middle East envoy,” Capps said in a statement. “Sen. Mitchell’s record on conflict resolution is beyond reproach and will help re-establish the United States as a force for peace in the Middle East.

“I believe this appointment shows clearly that President Obama understands the importance of addressing the difficult, but resolvable, problem of achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians. It also underscores his commitment to making progress on this critical issue.

“Achieving peace in the Middle East is not only in the best interests of our great ally, Israel, and of the long-suffering Palestinian people, it is extremely important to America’s national security and so we must achieve this goal. I look forward to working with Sen. Mitchell as he begins this new task.”

— Emily Kryder is press secretary for Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara.