MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Experienced diplomat appointed by Biden as next CIA chief

Burns spent over three decades in the US foreign service, including as ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008, and high-ranking jobs in the State Department.

President-elect Joe Biden on Monday announced William Burns as his pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, tapping a retired veteran diplomat who helped lead secret talks with Iran.

Burns spent over three decades in the US foreign service, including a stint as ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008, and high-ranking jobs in the State Department.

“Bill Burns is an exemplary diplomat with decades of experience on the world stage keeping our people and our country safe and secure,” Mr Biden said in a statement released by his transition team.

Burns, who holds a master's and doctoral degrees from Oxford University, also served as US ambassador to Oman from 1998 to 2001. He retired from the foreign service in 2014 and is the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an international affairs think-tank in the US.

Mr Burns had been considered a likely candidate to lead the State Department under Mr Biden, given his deep experience with Iran. He was involved in back-channel negotiations that set the stage for the 2015 deal to limit Iran's nuclear capabilities.