Veteran journalist and diplomat Elizabeth Colton assumed the post this week of press attache at the US embassy in Cairo. A welcome celebration was organized for Colton on Tuesday night at the residence of deputy US ambassador Matthew Tueller. The event was attended by a number of prominent local authors, journalists and bloggers. Colton expressed satisfaction with being back in Egypt, noting that she had a number of friends and contacts in the country. She went on to exhibit a particular interest in the work of Egyptian bloggers, stressing that blogs provided vast scope for free and spontaneous political and social analyses. Besides occupying several senior diplomatic posts in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and Bahrain, Colton boasts considerable expertise as a journalist. She worked as Middle East correspondent for the American magazine Newsweek, the Cairo office of which she managed. She also reported for a number of major US news agencies, including ABC, NBC and National Public Radio. Colton obtained her PhD from the London School of economics and politics. She also received two masters degrees from Vanderbilt University. Since becoming a diplomat, Colton has been presented with three awards and four orders of merit in appreciation for her excellent performance. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
