White House names first hostage affairs envoy
President Obama on Friday appointed Jim O'Brien as the first Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, putting the former state department official in charge of efforts to secure the safe return of American hostages.
"Mr. O'Brien is uniquely qualified to serve in this position given his extensive background in diplomacy and international negotiations," Lisa Monaco, the president's adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism, said Friday in a statement. The White House further laid out O'Brien's duties reporting to the state department, where he will be working "to synchronize diplomatic efforts in support of comprehensive strategies to bring home American hostages."
Secretary of State John Kerry voiced his support for the appointment Friday, saying O'Brien was a person "of proven diplomatic skill with a strong commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and to justice."
"Jim is exactly the right person for a job that demands a high level of diplomatic experience and the ability to analyze and find effective remedies to complex problems," Kerry said in a statement.
Though O'Brien is the current vice chair of the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy and business advisory firm, he's no stranger to the role of presidential envoy. In the late 1990's, he served as a special presidential envoy for the Balkans, and later went on to the state department's office of policy planning as its deputy director. He was also a senior adviser to U.N. ambassador and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. O'Brien spent years negotiating high-profile global accords, and, according to his Albright Stonebridge biography, even helped secure the Dayton Agreement, which ended the Bosnian conflict.
In June, the Obama administration announced a major overhaul in America's hostage policy, after criticism that the White House didn't adequately consider the needs of hostages and their families.