By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former New York Sen. Hillary Clinton officially took the helm at the State Department on Thursday, promising a new era in U.S. diplomacy and drawing President Barack Obama as her first VIP guest.
In a sign that he wants diplomacy to play a major role in his administration rather than military might, Obama visited the State Department before going to the Pentagon and told diplomats their work was "critical to our success."
"You will have a secretary of state who has my full confidence," he told a gathering of senior diplomats on Clinton's first full day in the office.
"My appearance today, as has been noted, underscores my commitment to the importance of diplomacy and renewing America's leadership," the president added.
Earlier, about 1,000 employees crammed the entryway to the department and cheered when Clinton arrived.
"I will do all that I can working with you to make it abundantly clear that robust diplomacy and effective development are the best long-term tools for securing America's future," Clinton said.
"I believe with all my heart that this is a new era for America," she said.
Underscoring early foreign policy priorities, Clinton and Obama announced the appointment of two special envoys -- one to deal with trying to get a "sustainable" peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians and another to focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Both of the appointees are veteran diplomats -- former Northern Ireland negotiator George Mitchell to handle the Middle East and Richard Holbrooke, ex-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations who also negotiated a 1995 peace agreement that ended the Bosnian war.
"Anything short of relentless diplomatic efforts will fail to produce a lasting, sustainable peace in either place," said Clinton before introducing the new envoys.
Clinton, who narrowly lost the contest with Obama to be the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party last year, told employees earlier there were challenging times ahead.
"This is not going to be easy. I don't want anybody to leave this extraordinarily warm reception thinking 'Oh good, this is gonna be great.' This is gonna be hard," she added.
Waiting for Clinton in her seventh floor office was a letter of welcome and advice from Condoleezza Rice, who held the job under President George W. Bush and who came under criticism from staff for not doing enough to increase funding for diplomats.
Clinton won Senate approval on Wednesday despite Republican concerns about the foreign fundraising activities of her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
(Reporting by Sue Pleming; Editing by David Wiessler)
