The Washington Diplomat

Appointments - February 2004

Austria
• Harald Güenther was scheduled to assume the position of deputy chief of mission at the end of January, replacing Melitta Schubert, who departed the post on Jan. 14.

Lebanon
• Bilal Kabalan departed the post of deputy chief of mission on Jan. 14 to return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

• Ghady El-Khoury departed the post of political affairs first secretary on Dec. 17 to return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Nicaragua
• Salvador Stadthagen became ambassador of Nicaragua to the United States on Dec. 4. A career diplomat, Ambassador Stadthagen previously served as his country’s deputy minister of foreign affairs (2000-02), secretary of economic relations and cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1999-2000), ambassador to the Republic of China on Taiwan (1995-99), and chargé d’affaires and minister-counselor of the Nicaraguan Embassy in Japan (1990-92). Before entering the Nicaraguan Foreign Service, Ambassador Stadthagen served as official liaison between the Nicaraguan Resistance (UNO) and the U.S. State Department (1985-86). He was also involved with the Washington, D.C.-based firm Creative Associates International Inc. (1987-90) and was the executive director of the Education for Democracy National Program in Nicaragua (1992-95). Ambassador Stadthagen attended law school in Nicaragua from 1975 to 1979 and later obtained a business administration degree from American University in Washington, D.C., and a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University. He is married to Analía Vargas and has four son s.

Portugal
• Nuno Mathias departed the post of first secretary in December.
José Costa Pereira assumed the position of minister-counselor in December.