The U.S. Senate has confirmed Jeffrey Bleich as the next U.S. Ambassador to Australia, clearing the way for his arrival in Canberra. Ambassador-designate Bleich must formally present his credentials to the Govenor General before assuming his post.
To learn more about Ambassador-designate Bleich, you can see his biography on the Embassy website.
President Obama has announced his intent to nominate Jeffrey L. Bleich as the next U.S. Ambassador to Australia. From the White House announcement:
Jeff Bleich, Nominee for Ambassador to Australia
Jeff Bleich is the Special Counsel to the President at the White House. From 1995 to 2009 he was a litigation partner in the San Francisco office of Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, where he was recognized as one of the nation’s top lawyers. Outside of his legal practice, Mr. Bleich has a long-standing commitment to international law. After clerking for Judge Howard Holtzmann at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal and acting as Special Rapporteur to the International Court of Arbitration, he assisted the Special Prosecutor for the International Tribunal for the Former-Yugoslavia. He has taught international human rights at UC Berkeley’s School of Law, and written and lectured extensively on the international criminal court. More recently, Mr. Bleich represented the ABA before the United States Supreme Court in several matters including the Medellin case concerning the Vienna Convention on Consular Rights. He recently chaired both the ABA’s Amicus Curiae Committee and the subcommittee on Corporate Social Responsibility. Mr. Bleich served as an officer or member in numerous foreign policy organizations including the Council on Foreign Relations, the ABA Section on International Law, the Pacific Council on International Policy, the International Law Association, the American Society of International Law, and Human Rights Watch. In 2008, he served simultaneously as the Chair of the California State University Board of Trustees and as the President of the State Bar of California. Mr. Bleich received his B.A. from Amherst College, his Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University, and his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law. He received his certificate in Public International Law from the Hague Academy in 1993. Following graduation from law school, he clerked for Chief Justice Rehnquist on the United States Supreme Court as well as Judge Abner J. Mikva of the D.C. Circuit.
UPDATE: According to the THOMAS website, Mr Bleich’s nomination was received in the United States Senate on 14 September and referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
More info:
U.S. meat imports (including prepared meat) almost doubled during the 10-year period (1998-2007). Australia and Canada accounted for most of the beef imports, while imports of lamb and goat meat came primarily from Australia and New Zealand, according to U.S. Food Import Patterns 1998-2007.
Australia’s shares of milk powder imports rose dramatically over this period from 16 to 25 percent for Australia — likely from the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
This August 2009 report was produced by the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Admiral Timothy Keating, the commander of the military in the Pacific region, answered questions from foreign journalists at the Foreign Press Center hosted by the U.S. Department of State.
In his brief introduction, he mentioned, “Exercise Talisman Saber off the northeast coast of our strong ally, Australia. It’s a very high-end bilateral military exercise with soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, ships, submarines, all kinds of assets in a very high-end, technologically challenging linked exercise between the United States and Australia.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith today to Washington in advance of the annual Australian-U.S. ministerial meeting which will cover a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues. “We have few better friends in the world than Australia,” Secretary Clinton said. “And it is such a joy to work with the Australian Government. We have a lot of common values and common interests and common causes that we pursue.” Foreign Minister Smith said the AUSMIN meeting underpins the alliance. “It’s an alliance that’s served us very well for over 60 years,” he said. “It’s an indispensible part of our strategic security and defense arrangements.”
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been making the rounds in Washington DC with visits to President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of Defense Gates among others. To learn more about what was said, check out these links:
President Obama will meet with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at the White House on Tuesday, March 24. In releasing the announcement, the White House said:
Australia is a close ally of the United States. The President looks forward to discussing with the Prime Minister ways to address critical global issues. The two leaders will consult on effective measures to respond to the global financial crisis, as well as Afghanistan, climate change, nuclear nonproliferation and other issues.
Update: PM Rudd has also released a statement to the same effect.
President Obama called Prime Minister Rudd to express his condolances for the victims of the bushfires. The President and the Prime Minister discussed the current status of the fires across Victoria, Australia. President Obama offered his prayers to the people of Australia and the assistance to the U.S. government.
More: Readout on the President’s Call to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia
