Marantis named acting U.S. trade representative

   Departing U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said Thursday that his deputy, Demetrios Marantis, will assume the role of acting U.S. trade representative.
   Kirk departs his position Friday after four years of service in President Obama’s cabinet.

Marantis

   Marantis, confirmed by the U.S. Senate as deputy U.S. trade representative in May 2009, has been responsible for U.S. trade negotiations and enforcement in Asia and Africa, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, U.S.-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), U.S.-India Trade Policy Forum, and Trade and Investment Framework Agreements with countries ranging from South Africa to the Philippines.
   “I have valued Demetrios’s contributions and counsel during my time as USTR, and his expertise and leadership abilities will bolster this agency’s work for the American people and in the global trading community at this time of transition,” Kirk said in a statement.
   Before joining the administration, Marantis served as chief international trade counsel for the Senate Finance Committee. He also spent two years in Hanoi as chief legal advisor for the U.S.-Vietnam Trade Council. Between 1998 and 2002, he was USTR’s associate general counsel where he negotiated provisions of international trade agreements and represented the United States in World Trade Organization dispute settlement proceedings. He also worked for five years for law firm Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld.