Posted on: Saturday, April 28, 2001
Senate OKs Hawai'i man for State Department post
By Susan Roth
Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — The Senate has unanimously confirmed Hawai'i resident James A. Kelly to be assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
Kelly, president of the Pacific Forum of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a private, nonprofit think tank in Honolulu, is a respected expert in Asian and Pacific issues and a former naval officer with experience in previous Republican administrations.
President Bush announced Kelly's nomination Feb. 22 and officially nominated him April 3, but Kelly has been working out of a State Department office here for months, aides said. Thursday morning, the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee gave the nod to his nomination, with the support of Hawai'i's Democratic senators, Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka. The full Senate confirmed Kelly's appointment Thursday night by voice vote.
"Mr. Kelly has extensive experience dealing with issues facing East Asia and the Pacific from both the public and private sectors," Inouye said when he introduced Kelly to the Senate committee. After serving in previous administrations for six years, Kelly "analyzed and discussed Asia-Pacific politics, security and economic issues" for another six years at the Pacific Forum, Inouye said.
"Mr. Kelly is extremely well-qualified for the position of assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs and will serve this nation with distinction," Inouye said.
Kelly was President Ronald Reagan's special assistant for national security affairs and senior director for Asian affairs. He also served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs from 1983 to 1986.
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Naval War College, Kelly commanded the Naval Supply Depot at Pearl Harbor before retiring in 1982 as a captain. He has served on the boards of the local Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, the Japan-America Society and the Honolulu Committee on Foreign Relations.
Friends and colleagues in Hawai'i say Kelly is a listener who is politically moderate and cautious about America's relationship with China. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.
