WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John Kerry, President Barack Obama's pick for secretary of state, will need no introduction with the world leaders vital to American interests.
Kerry has been a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 27 years, the last six as chairman. He has traveled extensively in his capacity as a lawmaker and served as an unofficial envoy for Obama to hot spots such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Egypt.
Obama was expected to announce Friday that he had tapped Kerry to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Kerry was an early backer of imposing a "no-fly zone" over Libya as Moammar Gadhafi's forces attacked Libyan rebels. The Massachusetts senator also has pushed to address global climate change.
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