• Col. Abdelkrim Bendebiche departed the post of defense attaché on July 30.
• Boualem Chebihi, who previously served as press officer for the embassy, departed the post of counselor on July 30.

East Timor

• Jose Luis Guterres became ambassador of East Timor to the United States with concurrent accreditation as permanent representative to the United Nations on May 8. Ambassador Guterres previously served as the vice minister for foreign affairs and cooperation for the government of Timor-Leste (2002-03), head of the Timor-Leste delegation at the Council of Ministers meeting of CPLP in Brazil and the ACP/EU meeting in the Dominican Republic (July 2002), and the Timor-Leste representative at the Sustainable Development Summit in South Africa (August 2002). A founding member of the Social Democratic Association/FRETILIN, Ambassador Guterres has been active in the FRETILIN External Delegation since 1974, serving as his nation’s designated representative to Angola, the permanent representative to Mozambique, the designated representative of FRETILIN to the United Nations, and participating in numerous international meetings, including the annual Subcommission on the Protection of Human Rights and the Commission of Human Rights meetings in Geneva. Ambassador Guterres has studied at the University of Cambridge, the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, the Malaysia Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations, and the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Portugal. He is married with two children.

Germany

• Peter Gottwald assumed the position of deputy chief of mission on Jul y 7, replacing Eberhard Koelsch, who departed the post on July 17.

Madagascar
• Olga Ratsiraka departed the post of economic and commercial counselor on May 8.
• Eulalie Ravelosoa assumed the position of deputy chief of mission on May 26. Ravelosoa previously worked at the Central Department of the Strategic Studies and the America/Asia desks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acting as director of bilateral cooperation when required.
• Rasolozakanaly Ravoninjatovo assumed the position of counselor on May 26, replacing Lea Ravololondratavy, who departed the post on May 8. Ravoninjatovo previously served as a World Bank national consultant for agro-business (January to May 2003), vice prime minister counselor of the Malagasy government (March to December 2002), director of Aubex-Exchange and Partnership (1996-2000), and a consultant of Aubex-Fair (January to December 2001).
• Christiane Razafijemisa assumed the position of counselor on May 26. Razafijemisa previously served as an internal auditor at the Compagnie Malgache de Banque in Antananarivo, Madagascar, from January to May 2003 and an administrative assistant at the United Nations Development Programme’s Direction Administrative et Financière from August 1999 to January 2003.

Ukraine

• Yugev Burkat assumed the position of commercial first secretary on June 15. Burkat previously served at the Ministry of Economy and European Integration in the Ukraine.
• Galyna Pobodostseva assumed the position of vice-consul/attaché on June 15. Pobodostseva previously served in the Consular Department of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.