New US envoy, army chief discuss regional security

It is Hale’s first official assignment since formally taking up role

ISLAMABAD: A day after he presented his credentials to President Mamnoon Hussain and officially opened his diplomatic assignment to Pakistan, the new US Ambassador David Hale on Friday visited the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi to meet Army Chief General Raheel Sharif.

This was Hale’s first official assignment since he formally took charge of his new responsibilities.



A statement issued here by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the US Ambassa  dor called on the army chief and both discussed matters of mutual interest including the regional security situation.

The army chief recently returned from a trip to the US where he shared Pakistan’s perspective with American interlocutors on key regional issues including Afghanistan.

On Thursday, the new US ambassador presented his credentials to President Mamnoon Hussain. In a statement issued by the US Embassy, Hale expressed his desire to work with the people and government of Pakistan to further strengthen American-Pakistani relations, increase trade and people to people ties.

He also called for further enhancing bilateral security partnership, and advancing the broad agenda laid out by President Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif when they met in Washington in October.

David Hale is a career member of the senior foreign service with the rank of career minister. He served as ambassador to the Lebanese Republic from 2013 to 2015.  He was the special envoy for Middle East peace (2011-2013), deputy special envoy for Middle East peace (2009-11), and ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2005-8).



He has also served in Tunisia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and at the US Mission to the United Nations, and multiple tours in Lebanon and Jordan.  In Washington, Hale was deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israel, Egypt and the Levant, Director for Israel and Palestinian Affairs, and executive assistant to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

In 2013 Secretary Clinton presented Hale with the Distinguished Service Award.  He speaks Arabic and is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Hale was born in the US state of New Jersey.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 5^th,  2015.