Jeffrey Feltman, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, will retire next week, the State Department confirmed on Tuesday but did not address reports he is expected to take up a senior UN position. Sources said Monday that Feltman, the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, was expected to replace Lynn Pascoe, another career US diplomat, as UN under-secretary-general for political affairs. In that position, Feltman would help to formulate UN policy in negotiations on the Middle East peace process and other conflicts and to oversee UN mediation efforts. "Assistant Secretary Feltman has advised Secretary Clinton ... that he plans to retire at the end of the month and that he is going to be pursuing other opportunities," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. Nuland declined comment on who President Barack Obama might nominate to succeed him, but said that Feltman's chief deputy, Elizabeth Dibble, would "will steer the ship in the interim." Dibble has previously served as deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs responsible for US relations with the European Union and Western Europe and as the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Rome. She also has extensive experience in the Middle East, having worked as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Near Eastern affairs responsible for US relations with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. She has also been director of the bureau's Office of Peace Process and Regional Affairs and foreign assignments included Damascus, Islamabad, Tunis and London.
GMT 01:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
Trump 'imitates' Modi's accent in private conversation: ReportGMT 21:24 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Puigdemont accuses EU of not defending rights in CataloniaGMT 21:18 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Vietnam oil exec 'kidnapped' from Germany jailed for lifeGMT 21:08 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Turkey in new assault on Kurdish militiaGMT 21:04 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Turkey detains 24 over 'terror propaganda'GMT 20:52 2018 Tuesday ,23 January
Dawoodi Bohra leader arrives in DubaiGMT 22:09 2018 Monday ,22 January
Israel apologises to JordanGMT 16:11 2018 Sunday ,21 January
Pope condemns criminals in crime-stricken Peruvian city

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor