Senate confirms ambassadors for Iraq, Pakistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has confirmed President Barack Obama’s nominees to serve as ambassadors to Iraq and Pakistan.

By voice vote early Saturday morning, lawmakers backed the selection of Richard Olson to be U.S. envoy in Pakistan. His appointment comes as an already tenuous relationship between Islamabad and Washington has been complicated by anti-American protests in several Pakistani cities against an anti-Islam film.

The Senate also backed Robert Beecroft for the post in Iraq. The U.S. has been pressing Baghdad about reports that Iran is using Iraqi airspace to smuggle weapons into Syria. Iraq insists that the flights were delivering only humanitarian aid.

Obama picked Beecroft after racy emails doomed the choice of Brett McGurk, who withdrew his nomination in June.