caption predecessor successor birth_place imagesize profession office native_name birth_date term_start image article_title term_end name alma_mater
ambassador sumaidaie meeting us president george w. bush . council created jabir habib jabir council dissolved baghdad , iraq 150px diplomat , politician iraqi representative to the united nations member of the governing council ambassador to the united states iraq 's permanent سمير الصميدعي 1944 april 2006 august 2004 july 2003 image : sumaidaie and bush.jpg samir sumaidaie
 19 december 2011 april 2006 28 june 2004 samir sumaidaie durham university
samir sumaidaie

samir shakir mahmoud sumayda'ie -lrb- samir sumaidaie -rrb- is an iraqi politician and was the iraqi ambassador to the united states .
he was born in baghdad in 1944 and left iraq in 1960 to study in the united kingdom where he obtained a degree in electrical engineering from durham university in 1965 and a postgraduate diploma in 1966 .
he returned to iraq in 1966 but left again for the uk in 1973 after saddam hussein seized power .
he returned to baghdad and was appointed member of the iraq governing council in july 2003 .
he was appointed as iraq 's ambassador to the united states in april 2006 , after previously serving as the iraq 's permanent representative to the united nations -lrb- from august 2004 -rrb- , and prior to that , as baghdad 's interior minister .
he is secular and rejects any sectarian label .
during his years of exile , based in london , and traveling in the mid - and far - east , he was a leading figure in the opposition to saddam 's regime and helped form a number of political groups .
in july 2005 sumaidaie demanded an inquiry into the fatal shooting -lrb- which he has described as `` cold-blooded '' -rrb- of his cousin during a routine house to house search by us marines in iraq .
in november 2007 he visited the fletcher school at tufts university where he gave a speech on the history and current situation in iraq .
in march 2010 he visited the renowned elliott school of international affairs at the george washington university
