Culture

George Clooney Skips Oscars to Meet with Obama in Washington

by Jarrett Martineau | February 24, 2009 at 01:17 pm

113 views | 24 Recommendations | 2 comments

Actor George Clooney was noticeably absent from this year's Academy Awards ceremony last Sunday, however, he had prior engagement that was worth keeping — a meeting with President Barack Obama.

Clooney was previously named a UN Messenger of Peace, for his work with the humanitarian organization Not On Our Watch.

After having visited Sudan six times in recent years, Clooney wanted to meet with Obama in order to request the appointment of a regional envoy to the region.

Clooney, a U.N. Messenger of Peace, said he asked the president to appoint a full-time regional envoy who reports directly to the White House, and to ask China to set aside its business interests in the region and pressure Sudan to prevent atrocities.

The refugees need "what we do best, what we have done best since the start of this country - which is good, robust diplomacy all across the world," he said.

Clooney said he delivered 250,000 postcards gathered by the Save Darfur organization to the president and Vice President Joe Biden. The actor said both were receptive.