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United States President Barack Obama has nominated US ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert O Blake, who has also served as the Deputy Chief of US Mission in New Delhi, as the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs.
If approved by the US Senate, Blake would replace Richard Boucher, who is currently Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs. However, the communique issued by the White House did not mention Central Asia being part of Blake's portfolio.
A career Foreign Service Officer, Blake served as the Deputy Chief of the US Mission in New Delhi from 2003 to 2006. Having entered the US Foreign Service in 1985, Blake has served at the American Embassies in Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt. He also has held a number of positions at State Department in Washington.
Blake was appointed as the US ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives in September 2006. As per media reports, Blake is against military solution to end the present ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.