Russ Feingold named U.S. envoy to crisis region in Africa
Washington — Former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) was announced as a special representative for the United States to the Great Lakes region of Africa by Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday. Feingold brings an expertise in the region to the job. He served as chairman of the Senate foreign relations Africa subcommittee. In April, the Journal Sentinel first reported that Feingold was in talks with the U.S. State Department regarding the African post. Feingold confirmed his interest in the job to columnist Daniel Bice, saying he would ‘welcome the opportunity to work with Secretary Kerry.’”
Feingold was in the Senate from 1993 to 2011. He lost his bid for a fourth term in 2010 to Republican Ron Johnson. Since then, he has written a book and served as a visiting professor at Marquette, Stanford and Lawrence universities.
Kerry announced the appointment at a State Department briefing in D.C. “The stakes in this part of the world ... are very significant,” said Kerry, who called Feingold the Senate’s “leading advocate and expert on Africa” when he served. Kerry said the appointment would aid U.S. efforts in a “long-troubled region,” citing the ongoing crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the need to “help parties find a path to lasting peace,” achieve accountability for human rights abuses, and break down "the barriers standing between humanitarian aid and the civilians who need it.”
In an statement, Feingold said: “It is a great responsibility to take on the role of United States Special Envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, as the people in the region have arrived at a time of significant opportunity for peace. The appointment of Mary Robinson as the UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes, and the signing of the February 2013 Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, have brought a renewed focus to the causes of instability in the region, and created an historic opportunity for this important, but challenged, region of Africa.” The appointment has no set term. Feingold will serve at the pleasure of the president. He is expected to begin his duties in July.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/211992731.html
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