President Bush's special envoy on Northern Ireland, Dr Mitchell Reiss, leaves his post at the US State Department today and returns to his old job as a law professor at a Virginia university, according to official sources.
Mr Reiss will, however, continue as the president's envoy to the peace process, at least until St Patrick's Day, and possibly longer. He was "borrowed" from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, by then-secretary of state Mr Colin Powell in July 2003 to succeed Mr Richard Haass as the State Department director for policy planning. Later he was made special envoy to Northern Ireland.
The US Secretary of State, Ms Condoleezza Rice, is in the process of appointing a new policy planning director. The College of William and Mary, where Mr Reiss is once again Dean of International Affairs, is south of Washington, distancing the envoy from the centre of political power.
This has led to speculation that the post of envoy has been downgraded, but sources in Washington say that as there is little movement in the North at present, the US is not as engaged as previously.
Mr Haass also continued as envoy to Northern Ireland for a time after leaving the State Department in 2003 and moving to New York. Mr Reiss will meets the Minister for Foreign Affairs when he visits Washington next week.