The Washington Diplomat

Appointments, July 2002

Austria

• Traxler Gottfried departed his position as attaché on July 19. He will be returning to the Foreign Ministry in Vienna.

• Rudorfer Roland assumed the post of second secretary on July 29. Roland previously served as an attaché in the embassy in Beijing (1995-1998), third secretary and vice consul at the embassy in Tehran (1998-2000), and in the Foreign Ministry in Vienna (2000-2002).

Cyprus

• Maria Michael is scheduled to depart her position as first secretary on Sept. 2.

• Vasilis Polemitis is scheduled to assume the post of secretary of the embassy on Sept. 3.

Czech Republic

• Nicol Adamcova departed her position as second secretary of political affairs on May 31.

• Martina Tauberova assumed the post of third secretary of political affairs on May 27. Before her current appointment, Tauberova worked in the Security Policy Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague. She specializes in NATO-related issues.

Estonia

• Kristjan Prikk assumed the post of economical secretary on July 2, replacing Riho Kruuv who departed his position on July 2. Prikk previously served in the Department of Foreign Economics at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ethiopia

• Ayele Kassahun became the ambassador of Ethiopia to the United States on June 19. Ambassador Kassahun holds more than 28 years of experience in engineering, consulting, management and policy-related work. He previously served as the minister of trade and industry (1995-2001), during which time he successfully negoti ated Ethiopia’s certification in the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Ambassador Kassahun has also worked as head of the Productive and Support Services Bureau in the Office of the Prime Minister (1993-1995), and general manager of the Development Projects Study Authority in Ethiopia (1992-1993). From 1982 to 1992, he was the leading project engineer and senior project engineer for a state-owned consultancy enterprise known as the Industrial Projects Service. Ambassador Kassahun has also served on various management boards for Ethiopian businesses, including Ethiopian Airlines, the National Bank of Ethiopia and the Export Promotion Agency of Ethiopia. Ambassador Kassahun holds a master’s degree in tribology in machine design from Leeds University in Great Britain and a bachelor’s degree from Haile Sellasie I University in Ethiopia. He is married with two children.

• Hailu Fitsum assumed the post of second secretary of trade and investment on June 8, replacing Kumela Rahel who is scheduled to depart her position on Aug. 7. Fitsum previously worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ethiopia from 1992 to 1998 and the Ethiopian Embassy in Berlin from 1998 to 2002. Rahel will now be posted at the United Nations Permanent Mission in New York.

• Asghedom Tessema Fesseha assumed the post of minister on June 3. Fesseha previously served as the deputy permanent representative to the United Nations Permanent Mission in New York from 1992 to 2002.

Jamaica

• Althea E. O’Sullivan assumed the post of first secretary-consul on July 1, replacing Shorna-Kay M. Richards who departed her position on June 30.

Morocco

• Aziz Mekouar became ambassador of Morocco to the United States on June 19. Before his current assignment, Ambassador Mekouar served as ambassador to Italy (1999-2002), Portugal (1993-1999), and Angola (1986-1993). Ambassador Mekouar has also served as minister plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation in Morocco (1985-1986), permanent representative of Morocco to the International Bureau for Information Technology (1978-1985), and first counselor and deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Morocco in Rome (1977-1985). He holds a bachelor’s degree from the French High School Charles Lepierre in Lisbon, Portugal, and he graduated from the Graduate Business School in France in 1974. Ambassador Mekouar is fluent in Arabic, English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, and he is married with one child.

Nigeria

• L. Akinkuole has assumed the post of commercial counselor.

• N.A. Njoku has assumed the post of financial attaché.

• Group Capt. Adebiyi Okanlawon has assumed the post of defense and air adviser. Okanlawon is a professional pilot with postgraduate flight training in Germany, France and Great Britain. Okanlawom previously served as the command training officer at Headquarters Training Command in Nigeria. He has seen combat in Liberia and Sierra Leone and has been decorated with the Armed Forces Service Star Meritorious Service Star.

• Commander Gabriel Okoi has assumed the post of naval attaché. Okoi is a member of the U.S. Naval Institute and a recipient of the Forces Service Star and Pass Staff College Dagger. Okoi previously served as a military observer to the United Nations Mission in Kuwait from 1993 to 1994 and as a naval staff officer grade one to the minister of defense.