Washington  - Ron Kirk's nomination as the United States's top trade official was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate on Wednesday, filling one of President Barack Obama's last remaining cabinet posts.

Kirk, a former mayor of Dallas, was confirmed as US trade representative by 92-5 in the Senate, which has to approve all cabinet nominees. He becomes the first African-American to hold the post.

Considered a centrist on trade issues, Kirk last month said the Obama administration would focus on enforcing existing trade deals rather than pushing through new ones during the current economic crisis.

In a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, Kirk said the incoming administration was not suffering from "deal fever" and had launched a comprehensive review of pending free-trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

Kirk's nomination had been held up since December over questions about taxes he failed to pay on charitable donations.

His approval leaves open two final positions in Obama's cabinet. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and former Washington state governor Gary Locke are awaiting confirmation as health and commerce secretaries respectively. (dpa)