Ramallah, January 23, SPA -- The West Bank-basedadministration of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed todayUS President Barack Obama's choice of George Mitchell as his newMiddle East envoy, according to DPA. Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said both Mitchell'sappointment and the telephone calls that Obama and Secretary of StateHillary Clinton made to leaders in the region so soon after hisinauguration showed the new US administration "is interested in(solving) the conflict in this region." Chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmad Qureia also welcomed theappointment as a "positive step." "We will do everything we can to work with him," he said in astatement. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/628763