Updated on
Summary The US administration has appointed new ambassador to Libya
A statement by the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland said Thursday that the new appointee, Laurence Pope, had reached Tripoli as U.S. Chargé d’ Affairs to Libya. Mr. Pope’s selection as Chargé d’ Affairs emphasizes the commitment of the United States to the relationship between our two countries and to the people of Libya as they move forward in their transition to a democratic government, she maintained.We will continue to assist as Libya builds democratic institutions and broad respect for the rule of law - the goals that Ambassador Stevens worked hard to achieve, the spokesperson asserted. Chargé Pope looks forward to working with the Libyan government and the Libyan people during this historic and challenging time, as we build strong economic, social, political, and educational bridges between our two people, shea dded.The former ambassador J. Christopher Stevens was killed last month along with three other employees in BenGhazi, when an angry mob protesting against the controversial movie on youtube ambushed the embassy compound almost a month ago. The US administration has accused al-Qaeda to be a mastermind of the attack and remains on the lookout for the attackers.The new envoy, Laurence Pope, served as a US Foreign Service Officer from 1969-2000, retiring at the rank of Minister Counselor after having held a number of senior posts in the Department of State. He was the Director for Northern Gulf Affairs (1987–1990), Associate Director for Counter-Terrorism (1991–1993), U.S. Ambassador to Chad (1993–1996), and Political Advisor to the Commander-in-Chief of United States Central Command (1997–2000). In 2000, President Clinton nominated him as Ambassador to Kuwait.Laurence Pope retired from the U.S. Foreign Service on October 2, 2000 after 31 years of service. He continues to consult with various institutions and is a respected author.A graduate of Bowdoin College, Chargé Pope also had advanced studies at Princeton University and is a graduate of the U.S. Department of State Senior Seminar, and is a Senior Fellow at the Armed Forces Staff College. He speaks Arabic and French, and resides in Portland, Maine.Reporte by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
