The United States has appointed a new ambassador to Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Nauru after a break of nearly two years.
The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, swore in David Lawrence Lyon in Washington yesterday.
Mr Lyon will take up his position in the Suva-based US embassy in January.
The last American ambassador to the four countries, Osman Siddique, left Suva several months after the Fiji coup.
