THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

THE PRESIDENT NAMES AMBASSADOR TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA, THE SOLOMON

ISLANDS AND VANUATU

The President today announced his intention to nominate Arma Jane Karaer of Minnesota, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Counselor, as Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, to the Solomon Islands and to the Republic of Vanuatu.

Mrs. Karaer has been Deputy Chief of Mission at Helsinki since 1993. She joined the Foreign Service in 1967 and was assigned to the Consulate General in Istanbul as a consular officer. Following assignments to the Office of Citizens' Services and the Visa Office, she became head of the consular section at Melbourne, Australia in 1973. After completing the FSI economic course in 1976, Mrs. Karaer served as commercial officer in Kinshasa, Zaire followed by an assignment as commercial officer in Ankara, Turkey on loan to the Department of Commerce. Graduating with distinction from the Air War College in 1984, she served as senior Turkish Desk Officer in EUR/SE, Deputy Principal Officer in Karachi, Pakistan and Deputy Chief of Mission in Mbabane, Swaziland.

Mrs. Karaer was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 17, 1941. After earning a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota, she received an exchange scholarship and Fulbright grant to pursue graduate work in South Asian Area studies at Osmania University in Hyderabad, India. Having completed her graduate studies at the University of Minnesota, Mrs. Karaer was a reporter for the St. Paul newspapers before joining the Foreign Service. She speaks French and Turkish and holds the State Department's Meritorious Service Award. She is also a member of the Foreign Service Association.

She is married to Yassar Karaer and they have two daughters, Alexandra and Ceren.

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