Senate Considers Nomination for U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan
16 June 2005
Ronald Neumann cites importance of working closely with local leaders
By Mercedes L. Suarez
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations opened hearings on the nomination of Ronald Neumann to be the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan June 15. The previous ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, left the post in Kabul to serve as U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
Neumann has served as U.S. ambassador to Bahrain and Algeria and is currently the counselor for political-military affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
In his statement before the Committee on Foreign Relations, Neumann said he would draw on his recent experiences in Baghdad where he learned the importance of “working closely with local leaders, of consulting with them, listening to them, and empowering them.” Neumann said the two principal problems facing Afghanistan are “the lack of security and the growing narcotics menace.”
Opening the hearing, Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana said that the United States is “committed for the long term to help stabilize and reconstruct Afghanistan.” Lugar questioned Neumann about the state of Afghanistan’s fiscal infrastructure, strategies to improve education, road construction initiatives and the recent cholera outbreak in Kabul.
Neumann noted that he would be holding a position once occupied by his father, who served as ambassador to Afghanistan in the 1960s. He recalled his extensive travels in the country as a young man and looked forward to returning to Afghanistan.
The committee also considered the nomination of Gregory Schulte to serve as U.S. representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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