Lebanese Diplomat to be Honored for Long Service at Gala in New York

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Apr 14, 2010, 04:15 ET

NEW YORK, April 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lebanon's Ambassador to the United States, Antoine Chedid, is set to receive an award for his public service at an upcoming gala in New York on April 30^th, 2010. Chedid will be honored for his years of service as a diplomat by the Lebanese American University (LAU), which will host the event.

Ambassador Chedid has had a long career performing the kind of service that will be recognized later this month. He began his career by concentrating on legal studies in both Lebanon and France, receiving a degree from the French University of Saint Joseph School of Law in Beirut, as well as a post-graduate law degree from La Sorbonne in Paris. After earning his degrees, Chedid chose to serve Lebanon through its Foreign Service, discussing Lebanese affairs and relations throughout the world. His service to his country began in 1978 when he joined the Diplomatic Corps and was subsequently posted in Washington, D.C. where he served as political officer. While he was in D.C., he published several articles and studies chronicling the relationship between the U.S. and Lebanon.

After his first posting in Washington, Chedid was appointed Consul General (between 1984 and 1986) of Lebanon in Los Angeles where he provided Lebanese in the western states a connection to their homeland. Between 1989 and 1991, he was sent back to Lebanon where he was in charge of American-Lebanese relations. He also served as foreign policy adviser to the President of the Republic, focusing on American affairs. From 1991 to 1998, he was appointed Consul General in New York answering the concerns of Lebanese living in the east. As a senior career diplomat of the Foreign Service, Chedid was a member of Lebanese delegations to twelve General Assemblies of the United Nations in New York. After his service as Consul General, Chedid was appointed Ambassador of Lebanon to Athens, Greece.

After his appointment in Greece, Chedid returned to Beirut from 2001 to 2007 where he offered his services to his government's foreign ministry as the Head of the Department of International Organizations, which deals with the United Nations. Currently, Chedid is the Ambassador of Lebanon to the United States in Washington, providing Lebanon's position to policymakers in America.

SOURCE Lebanese American University