ISLAMABAD, DEC 3 (DNA) – American Ambassador David Hale presented his credentials to President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain, on Thursday, December 3, 2015, in Islamabad.Ambassador Hale thanked President Mamnoon for today’s ceremony and said, “I am honored to present my credentials as Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.” He expressed his desire to work with President Mamnoon, Pakistani counterparts, and the Pakistani people to further strengthen American-Pakistani relations, increase trade and people-to-people ties between the two countries, further enhance our security partnership, and advance the broad agenda laid out by President Obama and Prime Minister Sharif when they met in Washington on October 22, 2015.

David Hale is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister. He served as Ambassador to the Lebanese Republic from 2013 to 2015.

He was the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace (2011-2013), Deputy Special Envoy for Middle East Peace (2009-11), and Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (2005-8).

He has also served in Tunisia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and multiple tours in Lebanon and Jordan. In Washington, Hale was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israel, Egypt and the Levant, Director for Israel and Palestinian Affairs, and Executive Assistant to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

In 2013 Secretary Clinton presented Hale with the Distinguished Service Award. He speaks Arabic. Hale is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and was born in the U.S. state of New Jersey.=DNA