President Barack Obama named special envoys on Thursday for the long-troubled Middle East and the violent Afghanistan-Pakistan region and promised US help in ensuring a lasting truce in Gaza.

Obama chose former Senator George Mitchell as an envoy who will try to jump-start moribund Arab-Israeli peace talks.

In a flurry of diplomatic activity in his first week in office, Obama also tapped former ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke to be the first-ever special US envoy for Afghanistan, Pakistan and related issues.