Sherry to present credentials to Obama

As per procedures, ambassadors to the US have to present their credentials to the State Department and the President. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE

WASHINGTON: Sherry Rehman will be invited to the White House in the near future to present her credentials as Pakistan’s ambassador to the US to President Barack Obama, White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said on Friday.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Hayden said: “The United States has granted agrément, or recognition, to Ms Rehman as the Pakistani ambassador to the United States. At the appropriate time in the near future, she will be invited to the White House to join other newly-arrived ambassadors in presenting their credentials to the president.”

As per US diplomatic procedures, ambassadors to the US have to present their credentials to the State Department and the president and have their credentials accepted, after which they can formally assume their duties.

Rehman, due to arrive in the US on January 7 (today), will fill the post of ambassador which fell vacant after Husain Haqqani resigned last month in the wake of the Memogate scandal.

Hayden added that the date of the ceremony at the White House was yet to be determined.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2012.