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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release February 28, 1994

PRESIDENT CLINTON TO NOMINATE EDWARD WILLIAM GNEHM AS THE DEPUTY U.S.

REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS

The President today announced his intent to nominate Edward William Gnehm, Jr. a career member of the Senior Foreign Service to be the Deputy Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations with rank and status of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. He would succeed Edward S. Walker Jr.

"I am confident Mr.Gnehm's extensive foreign affairs background and foreign service experience will provide a valuable contribution to our representation abroad," the President said, adding that "I am delighted to nominate him to the post of Deputy Representative to the United Nations."

Ambassador Gnehm began his career in government services in 1968 as a management intern with the Department of the Navy. Following his entry into the Foreign Service in 1969, he served tours in Saigon and Kathmandu. He then served in Washington as a public affairs officer, desk officer for Nepal and a Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. In 1974, he was assigned to Damascus, Syria as Deputy Principal Officer in the U.S. interest section. From 1976-78, he was the Officer in Charge of the U.S. Liaison Office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and then the Deputy Chief of Mission in Sanaa, Yemen Arab Republic from 1978 to 1981.

He then returned to Washington as Pearson Fellow on Capitol Hill and served as Chief of Junior Officer Division in the Department's Bureau of Personnel, served as Director of the Secretariat Staff in the Office of the Secretary and from 1984-87 was the Deputy Chief of Mission in Amman, Jordan.

In 1987, Gnehm was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. From 1987 to 1979, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. Ambassador Gnehm currently serves as Ambassador to the State of Kuwait.

Born November 10, 1944 in Carrolton, Georgia, Gnehm received his BA in 1966 from the George Washington University. He was a Rotary Fellow at the American University in Cairo, Egypt from 1966-67. He speaks Arabic and French. He is married and has two children. -30-