But, without united political action from the Security Council, it is hard to see how Mr Brahimi will be able to do better than the man he replaced as envoy, the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Mr Huntsman's service as envoy in Beijing until April this year is seen as one of his most significant liabilities, with some staunchly conservative Republicans viewing his work for Mr Obama as a betrayal of the Republican Party.
Jenin is a rare place in the Arab world where ordinary people have a good word for Tony Blair, whose visits as envoy for the Quartet (the EU, Russia, the UN and the United States) put the city on the map.
As an envoy of President Ronald Reagan, he held talks with Saddam and other officials in Baghdad as Washington sought to contain neighboring Iran, which Saddam had invaded in 1980.
Mr. Eide previously served with the United Nations as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to undertake a comprehensive review of Kosovo in 2005 and as Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1997-1998.
In 2001, Bush appointed Danforth as his envoy to help mediate between warring factions in Sudan.
On the eve of the conference, the UN and Arab League appointed Kofi Annan as their envoy to Syria.
Kofi Annan's stint as special envoy led to a short-term reduction in violence but no serious efforts at negotiation.
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The latest wave of air attacks came as Russian envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin prepared for talks in Belgrade Thursday with Milosevic.
In Paris and London, by contrast, the view is that the council president, as the envoy of national leaders, takes primacy.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone presided over the Mass as an envoy from Pope Benedict XVI, who plans to visit the region after Easter.
But Mr Obama is distrusted in Israel, has no viable plan, and has just lost the ever-patient George Mitchell as his envoy.
She never wavered in her basic beliefs, and was an associate of Pope John Paul II, for whom she traveled as an envoy.
In the weeks after his election, Barak resisted approaches of lesser U.S. officials, such as special envoy Dennis Ross, preferring to wait for a White House chat.
"As an envoy, I can't want peace more than the protagonists, more than the Security Council or the international community for that matter, " Mr. Annan said Thursday in Geneva.
As the envoy of a defeated power at the Congress of Vienna, he played a weak hand with determination and skill, securing France within its pre-revolutionary borders and achieving a part at least of his vision for Europe.
Tony Blair, Britain's former prime minister, who claims credit for negotiating the deal as the envoy for the Quartet (the UN, the EU, the United States and Russia), says he will not get the small print for two weeks.
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However, Mr Fradkov, who most recently served as Russia's envoy to the European Union, is also seen as a skilled diplomat with a strong grounding in trade issues.
Tony Blair was in the Middle East in his capacity as a special envoy.
He chose as his special envoy the most prestigious political figure in America outside the administration.
By naming Mitchell as his personal envoy, Obama is sending a diplomatic heavyweight to the region.
He must select someone outside active politics to serve as his special envoy for this purpose.
Sri Lanka recently rejected Mr Browne's appointment as a special envoy, saying it was a "disrespectful intrusion".
Secretary General Kofi Annan as the special envoy to broker the peace deal.
To emphasise the point, Mr Ahern has promised to appoint Mr Reynolds as his personal envoy to Northern Ireland.
President Barack Obama named Mr Holbrooke as his special envoy for the two countries shortly after taking office in January.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Ray Chambers of the United States as his Special Envoy for Malaria.
Jolie serves as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and has visited refugee camps around the world.
We assigned Richard Holbrooke as a special envoy to the region.
The former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is also due to visit Syria at the weekend as joint special envoy for the UN and the Arab League.
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