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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Thursday chose William J. Burns, the administration's top official on the Arab-Israeli conflict, to be U.S. ambassador to Russia.
A career diplomat, Burns is assistant secretary of state for the Near East. If confirmed by the Senate, he would succeed Alexander Vershbow in Moscow.
Burns has headed the Near East bureau since June 2001. He speaks Russian as well as Arabic and French, and has served in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow as political officer. He also is a former U.S. ambassador to Jordan.
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