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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release February 16, 1996

THE PRESIDENT NAMES ROBERT KRUEGER AS AMBASSADOR TO BOTSWANA

The President today announced his intent to nominate Robert Krueger of Texas, currently U.S. Ambassador to Burundi, as Ambassador to Botswana.

Before being appointed to his present position as Ambassador to Burundi, Ambassador Krueger served in a variety of positions in public and private life: as U.S. Senator from Texas, Congressman from the 21st District of Texas, Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Mexican Affairs, Texas Railroad Commissioner (a position regulating the energy and transportation industries in Texas), Chairman of the Board of the Comal Hosiery Mills, and Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Duke University.

Ambassador Krueger's outstanding performance in Burundi provided ample evidence of his dynamism and integrity that will serve him well in his new post. When speaking to a group of African heads of state at an Africare dinner in October 1995, President Clinton demonstrated his confidence in Ambassador Krueger's abilities when he said, "Our symbols need to be people like Ambassador Krueger who risked his life to try to keep people alive in Burundi."

The process leading to announcement of Ambassador Krueger's successor in Burundi is at an advanced stage, and we hope to be able to make an announcement in the near future.

Ambassador Krueger was born on September 19, 1935, in New Braunfels, Texas. He was educated in the New Braunfels public school system, and holds the following degrees: Southern Methodist University, B.A.; Duke University, M.A.; Oxford University, M. Litt., Ph.D.; University of St. Thomas, D. Litt. His foreign languages are French, Spanish, and German. He is married to the former Kathleen Tobin; they have 3 children: Mariana (7), Sarah (6), and Christian (3 months).

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