Muscat Mr. Dry began his assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Muscat in August 2001. With the departure of Ambassador John B. Craig on September 22, 2001, Mr. Dry became Chargé d’Affaires, a position he will hold until a new Ambassador arrives. As Chargé d’Affaires, Mr. Dry is responsible for the management and leadership of the U.S. Embassy in Muscat, an embassy with 176 staff, including 58 direct hire American employees.

Chargé Dry has previously served in a number of assignments in the Arab world, including Baghdad and Saudi Arabia. He was a country desk officer in the Department of State for Saudi Arabia and Yemen. He previously served in Oman from 1983 to 1985 as the Economic and Commercial Officer. At that time, the U.S. Embassy was located in old Muscat.

Mr. Dry’s most recent assignment was as Economic Counselor in Hanoi, Vietnam. At that time, his portfolio included negotiating with the Vietnamese government a Bilateral Trade Agreement, a Civil Aviation Agreement, the country’s accession to the World Trade Organization, and an undertaking on Labor cooperation and dialogue. His section also was responsible for providing policy advice to the U.S. government on official development assistance to Vietnam. His office helped spearhead U.S. disaster relief efforts for the historic 1999 floods in the Central Region and worked to establish a U.S. Agency for International Development office in Hanoi.

Mr. Dry’s career with the Foreign Service began in 1981. He has also served in Asia (China and Indonesia). In assignments in the Department of State, he has pursued legal work in private international law. While working on international investment policy, he was part of the U.S. team which developed the investment chapter of the U.S.-Canada FTA, and the agreement on trade-related investment measures in the Uruguay GATT/WTO Round. He has also specialized in international energy economics.

He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Glasgow in Scotland and a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University. He is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia.

Mr. Dry is married to Ms. Ellen Kerrigan Dry, who is also an attorney. They have two children, Alicia (12) and Julia (8), attending The American School in Muscat (TAISM).