US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday that Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to Afghanistan, will be nominated to become the new US ambassador to Iraq.

"Today I am pleased to announce the president's intention to nominate Ambassador Zal Khalilzad to be our next ambassador to Iraq," Rice said in a statement, calling Khalilzad as one of the best diplomats in the United States.

"Zal will, of course, follow Ambassador John Negroponte, who has served with honor and distinction in that post," Rice said.

Negroponte has been named by President George W. Bush as the newly-created national intelligence director.

"The president and I have chosen Zal for this important job because he has a proven record of building consensus and achieving results in very tough situations," Rice said.

Rice said that as Iraq's political process continues, Khalilzad will be "a valuable representative for the United States and a wise counselor to the new Iraqi government."