press releases 2008

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David M. Hale Visits Lebanon

August 28, 2008

David M. Hale, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, is visiting Lebanon.  Ambassador Hale and Ambassador Michele J. Sison will be meeting with President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, Speaker Nabih Berri, Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, Defense Minister Elias Murr and members of the Parliament.

Ambassador Hale served twice in Lebanon, first as a political officer and later as the Deputy Chief of Mission.  He was the U.S. Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from 2005 until his recent appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.  Prior to that, Ambassador Hale was the Deputy Chief of Mission (2003-2004) and the Chargé d’Affaires (2004-2005) in Jordan, the Director of the Department of State’s Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs, and the Executive Assistant to the Secretary of State.  He has also served in Manama, Bahrain and Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.