Bush nominates Oil Buddy as Saudi Arabia ambassador

Bush nominates Dallas native as Saudi Arabia ambassador

AP/Dfw.com -November 17

DALLAS - An executive with Hunt Oil Co. has been appointed U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia by President Bush. Jim Oberwetter will replace Bob Jordan.

"This post is critically important to our diplomatic, trade and security efforts in the volatile Middle East," said U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. "I've known Jim for years and can say without reservations that President Bush has chosen an excellent nominee to lead our efforts in Saudi Arabia."

Oberwetter is senior vice president of governmental and public affairs for Hunt Oil. He managed former President Bush's Texas campaigns in 1988 and 1992 and was his press secretary when he was a Texas congressman.

Bush to nominate oil lobbyist as ambassador to Saudi Arabia

Agence France-Presse/Hindustan Times -November 18

US President George W Bush has selected a prominent Texas oil industry lobbyist with close ties to the Bush family to become the new US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the White House has announced.

The nominee, James Oberwetter, currently serves as senior vice president of governmental and political affairs for Hunt Oil Company and is also a member of the general committee on communications of the American Petroleum Institute (API), the main oil industry lobby in Washington. Oberwetter, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, has served as chairman of that lobbying group in the past and has extensive political connections in the nation's capital.

API represents more than 400 companies and business associations involved in all aspects of the oil and natural gas industry. It is represented in 33 US states and the federal District of Columbia. Prior to joining Hunt Oil 28 years ago, he worked at the US Environmental Protection Agency after serving as press secretary to then US Congressman George HW Bush, the father of the current US president. When Bush senior was elected president in 1988, Oberwetter worked as a member of his transition team in Washington, according to his corporate biography.

The appointment comes at a delicate stage in US-Saudi relations with the desert kingdom facing frequent charges from Congress that it is not doing enough to combat Islamic extremism and help the United States in the war on terror. All US ambassadorial appointments are subject to confirmation by the US Senate.

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