State Dept picks Moscow ambassador as Burns' successor
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US ambassador to Moscow, William Burns, was Friday picked to replace under secretary of state for political affairs Nicholas Burns, whose resignation was announced earlier in the day, the State Department said.
"We are going to substitute one Burns for another," spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters, adding the two men are not related. Nicholas Burns' resignation, announced for personal reasons, was to take effect in March.
"We are going to be, we hope, pending Senate confirmation, to have him (Nicholas Burns) replaced by another enormously talented experienced individual, Bill Burns."
William Burns has served as ambassador to Moscow since August 2005. Prior to that he served as assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs and ambassador to Jordan.
