WASHINGTON: The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday approved former Pakistan troubleshooter Anne Patterson to be the next US ambassador to Egypt, a key step towards full Senate confirmation.
The panel unanimously approved the nomination by voice vote, along with those of President Barack Obama’s picks to be top US diplomat in UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar, at a time of US concerns about the impact of the "Arab Spring."
It was not immediately clear when the full Senate, which under the US Constitution must confirm ambassadorial nominations, would act.
The panel also approved Obama’s ambassadorial nominees for Djibouti, Rwanda, Senegal and Guinea-Bisseau, Malawi, Paraguay, Guyana, Honduras, and Kazakhstan.
