WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has chosen a new special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, a job that became vacant with the December death of Richard Holbrooke, senior officials said.
Retired diplomat Marc Grossman is expected to take over as the administration is facing a crucial year for its war strategy in Afghanistan, where it plans to begin U.S. troop withdrawals this summer and to move toward a political settlement including negotiations with the Taliban before the end of 2011.
Clinton, who met with Grossman on Monday morning at the State Department, expects to announce his appointment in a major Afghan-Pakistan speech she will deliver Friday, if not before, administration officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they could not discuss the appointment on the record until it was announced.
In a nearly three-decade career at the State Department, Grossman served as assistant secretary of state for Europe and ambassador to Turkey and was undersecretary for political affairs during the first administration of George W. Bush.
He now is vice president of the Cohen Group, which advises international business clients on overseas enterprises. The Washington Post
