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Tripoli, 12 October:
The United States . . .[restrict]has appointed a new chargé d’affaires to Libya, following the killing of its ambassador, Christopher Stevens in the US consulate attack in Benghazi on 11 September.
A spokeswoman at the State Department, Victoria Nuland said in a statement: “The appointment of the retired diplomat, Laurence Pope, emphasises 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. We will continue to assist as Libya builds democratic institutions and broad respect for the rule of law – the goals that Ambassador Stevens worked so hard to achieve.”
Pope, who has already arrived in Tripoli, will effectively be acting as the US ambassador here.
Said Nuland: “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.”
Pope served as a Foreign Service Officer from 1969-200, retiring at the rank of Minister Counselor, after holding 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), US Ambassador to Chad (1993-1996) and Political Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Central Command (1997-2000). In 2000, President Clinton nominated him as ambassador to Kuwait.
Laurence Pope retired from the US Foreign Service in October 2000, after 31 years of service. Nuland added that he continued to consult with various institutions and is a respected author.
A graduate of Bowdoin College, Pope also had advanced studies at Princeton University, is a graduate of the US Department of State Senior Seminar and a Senior Fellow at the Armed Forces Staff College. He speaks Arabic and French and lives in Portland, Maine. [/restrict]
