Washington: Frank Ruggiero, a career civil
servant who served under late Richard Holbrooke, has been made
the Acting US Special Representative to the Af-Pak region and
will be assisted by two deputies, one of them an Indian-
American.
Announcing elevation of Ruggiero, who was Holbrooke`s
deputy, State Department spokesman P J Crowley said Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton has retained the same team which the
late special envoy created for his Afghanistan and Pakistan
agenda.
Ruggiero, Holbrooke`s key aid, has been moved up to be
the Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
(SRAP), he said.
"He will lead the SRAP structure that Richard
Holbrooke constructed, and will really serve as one of his,
you know, finest legacies, assisted by two deputies, Dan
Feldman and (Indian-American) Vikram Singh," he said.
"The SRAP structure that will continue on in his
absence combines individuals and experts from across
government. It incorporates international partners into this
structure.
"It is expressly the kind of organisation that he felt
was absent in Vietnam and for which he has built a crack team
that will continue the policies that the administration
pursues within the context of Afghanistan and Pakistan,"
Crowley said.
Ruggiero joined Clinton at a National Security Council
meeting yesterday at the White House that focused on the
annual review of Afghanistan policy, Crowley said.
"He has assumed the acting S-REP responsibility. He is at
the White House as we speak," Crowley said after Holbrooke
died on Monday from complications from a torn aorta.
Ruggiero became Holbrooke`s deputy in July 2010 after
serving as the senior US civilian representative for southern
Afghanistan. He served as acting assistant secretary for
political-military affairs from January to June 2009.
PTI
