US Envoy To Pakistan Plans To Step Down: Daily

Islamabad, May 9, IRNA -- The US ambassador to Pakistan, Cameron Munter, plans to step down and the Obama administration is considering a senior official at its Kabul embassy to replace him, a media report said on Tuesday. Daily ‘Express Tribune’ reported the White House is focusing on Richard Olson, to succeed Munter when he departs in coming months. Olson would have to be formally proposed by the White House and confirmed by the Senate. The White House declined to comment on a personnel matter. Munter, who was sworn in as ambassador to Pakistan in October 2010, has served during a period of unprecedented turbulence and suspicion between the two countries. Munter’s tenure has also coincided in a shift in US policy toward Pakistan, as hopes in the early days of the Obama administration for a more robust US-Pakistan engagement, including high-level visits and massive civil and military aid, have slowly been overtaken by mutual mistrust and frustration. The expected nomination of Olson, who served as US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates until 2011, does not appear to represent a change to US policy toward Pakistan. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Munter informed his staff on Monday that he had decided not to extend his tenure in Islamabad for a third year. Munter came to Islamabad from Baghdad and also served as US ambassador to Belgrade./end