Obama nominates Roemer as new US Ambassador to India

Lalit K Jha
Washington, May 28 (PTI) US President Barack Obama
Thursday nominated Timothy R Roemer, a veteran Democratic
Congressman and a member of the 9/11 Commission, to be his
envoy in India and help advance Washington's ties "at this
critical time for our nation and the world."

Roemer, 52, is currently President of the Center for
National Policy (CNP) - a Washington-based think tank.

If confirmed by the Senate, Roemer, a Congressman from
Indiana, will replace the Bush administration's nominee in New
Delhi, David Mulford.

An announcement in this regard was made by the
White House along with a dozen diplomatic posts, including
Patricia A Butenis, who has been nominated as the new
Ambassador to Sri Lanka.

"I am grateful that these distinguished Americans have
agreed to help represent the United States and strengthen our
partnerships abroad at this critical time for our nation and
the world," Obama said in a statement.

"I am confident they will advance American diplomacy as
we work to meet the challenges of the 21st century. I look
forward to working with them in the years and months ahead,"
he said.

Before joining CNP, Roemer represented the 3rd District
of Indiana for six terms as a US Congressman, from 1991 to
2003. He was appointed by the former President, George W Bush,
as a member of the 9/11 Commission that probed the terror
strikes on the US.

He was appointed to the Commission on the Prevention
of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism, a
bi-partisan commission created by Congress to examine how the
US can best address this threat to the national security.

In addition, Roemer serves on the Washington Institute
for Near East Policy's Presidential Task Force on Combating
the Ideology of Radical Extremism and the National Parks
Second Century Commission.

As a Distinguished Scholar at the Mercatus Center at
George Mason University, Congressman Roemer works with members
of Congress and staff to improve public policy outcomes by
teaching on the legislative branch and policy analysis.

Roemer holds a BA from the University of California,
San Diego and an MA and a PhD from the University of Notre
Dame. PTI LKJ
PMR
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Indian PM expresses sympathies over Pak blast

New Delhi, May 28 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh Thursday expressed sympathies to the people of Pakistan
over the bomb attack in Lahore and underlined the need for
collective action by all countries to defeat the scourge of
terrorism.

"My sympathy goes out to people of Pakistan," he told
reporters when asked to comment on Lahore blast Wednesday
which killed 35 people and injured several others.

"It shows terrorism is a big global problem and all
countries of the world have an obligation to work together to
defeat it," Singh said at the Rashtrapati Bhawan after the
swearing in of more ministers.

India's External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had
Wednesday said he hoped Pakistan and India can join hands to
fight the spectre of terror. PTI MS
PMR
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