WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry has appointed a new special envoy to lead the Obama administration's bid to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

Kerry says Lee Wolosky is "ideally qualified" to take on the diplomatic engagement required to close the prison. Wolosky will take the lead in arranging the transfer of detainees abroad and oversee periodic reviews of detainees not approved for transfer.

Wolosky is an attorney and served as director of transnational threats during the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Wolosky will be the third person to serve as the Guantanamo special envoy since President Barack Obama pledged in the first days of his administration that he would close the prison. More than 100 detainees remain at the facility.