Gene Cretz, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, will present a public talk titled, "U.S. - Libya Relations: Challenges on the Road to Normalization," at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, December 4, in 016 Robertson Hall, on the Princeton University campus.

Cretz served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kabul, Afghanistan from 1975-1977, and joined the Department of State in March 1981. His first Foreign Service tour was as General Services Officer and Consular Officer in Islamabad, Pakistan (1982-84). He then returned to Washington and served one year in the Operations Center and one year as Staff Assistant in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA).

From 1986-88 Cretz was a political officer in Damascus, Syria, followed by a tour as a political officer in New Delhi, India (1988-91). After leaving India, he served in Tel Aviv (1991-94) where he was responsible for Arab affairs, including the Gaza Strip.

His second Washington assignment was in the Bureau of International Organizations as the officer responsible for Middle East Affairs at the United Nations. From 1998-2001, he served in Beijing, China, where he was in charge of China's External Affairs portfolio. In 2001 he transferred to Cairo, Egypt where he served as Minister-Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs.

He returned to Damascus, Syria in August, 2003 as Deputy Chief of Mission and subsequently served as Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy until January 2004. Most recently he has been the Deputy Chief of Mission in Tel Aviv from August 2004 until August 2007.

Cretz was nominated by the President on July 11, 2007 to serve as Ambassador to Libya, and was confirmed by the Senate to serve as Ambassador on November 20, 2008. While awaiting Senate confirmation, Mr. Cretz served as the NEA Bureau’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Egyptian, Israeli-Palestinian, Jordanian, Lebanese and Syrian Affairs. On August 4, 2008, he assumed responsibility for Maghreb and Arabian Peninsula Affairs. Mr. Cretz speaks Dari, Urdu, Arabic and Chinese.

Ambassador Cretz did his undergraduate work at the University of Rochester and received a Masters of Science Degree in Linguistics from the State University College at Buffalo.

This event is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and is free and open to the public.