State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said Mitchell,on his fourth trip to the region since assuming the envoy post in January, will stop in Beirut Thursday and Damascus Friday and Saturday after Jerusalem-based meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

VOA: standard.2009.06.09

A senior U.S.official who spoke to reporters said Iran had sent diplomatic signals that it would respond to the P5+1 offer after its June presidential elections, and that post-election political "mayhem" in that country was probably behind the delay.

VOA: standard.2009.09.11