U.S. ambassador to Poland says he plans to leave this year

The U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe, plans to leave his position later this year, ending the customary three-year term.

Ashe, previously Knoxville, Tennessee's mayor for 16 years, told The Knoxville News Sentinel he has given notice about his plans, the newspaper reported on its Web site Tuesday. He will most likely step down after July 4.

His term will end in August and the State Department has not received any word that Ashe was resigning before then, department spokeswoman Janelle Hironimus told The Associated Press.

President George W. Bush chose Ashe, 62, as ambassador in April 2004, and Ashe began his term in the summer.

Ashe did not say what his plans are after returning to Knoxville later this year.

Ashe was a college roommate of Bush at Yale University and protege of former Tennessee Sen. and U.S. Ambassador to Japan Howard Baker. He served nine years in the Tennessee Legislature before losing to Al Gore in 1984 for the U.S. Senate.

Ashe left office in Knoxville in December 2003 and was teaching at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government when Bush nominated him to become ambassador to Poland.

Source:http:iht.com