The Washington Diplomat

Appointments, September 2002

Belarus

• Nikolai Ovsyanko assumed the position of second secretary on Sept. 2. Ovsyanko previously served as second and first secretary in the Information Department and Mass Media Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belarus from 1999 to 2002.

• Sergei Skoortsov departed the post of first secretary on Sept. 8.

Belgium

• Franciskus van Daele became ambassador of Belgium to the United States on June 30. Ambassador van Daele, who joined the Belgian Foreign Service in 1971, previously served as ambassador and permanent representative to the European Union (1997-2002), director general for political affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium (1993-1997), and deputy permanent representative to the Belgian Permanent Mission to the United Nations (1989-1993). Ambassador van Daele has also held posts at the Belgian Embassy in Italy (1986-1989), the embassy in Greece (1977-1981) and various posts within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador van Daele holds a master’s degree in philosophy and art from the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, and is married with three children.

Botswana

• Herold C. Luke assumed the position of third secretary on July 23. Luke worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Botswana as the desk officer for the ACP/EU Partnership Agreement and SADC/EU Partnership Agreement from 2000 to 2001.

Cyprus

• Maria Michael departed the post of first secretary on Aug. 30.

• Basil Polemitis assumed the position of second secretary-consul on Sept. 3. Polemitis, who joined the Foreign Service in 1999, holds a bachelor’s degree in polit ical science and economics from Pace University in New York and a master’s degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Czech Republic

• Petr Chalupecky assumed the position of political third secretary on July 27.

• Viktor Danielis assumed the position of economic first secretary on Aug. 9. Danielis previously served as director of the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade from 1999 to 2002.

• Jan Maisler departed the post of political second secretary on July 26.

• Maj. Jiri Niedoba assumed the position of assistant defense, military and air attaché on July 30, replacing Col. Miloslav Fikar who departed the post on July 30.

• Ludek Pokorny departed the post of economic second secretary on Aug. 16.

Egypt

• Walid M. Abdelnasser assumed the position of deputy chief of mission on Aug. 30, replacing Mohamed Elzorkany who departed the post on Aug. 30. Abdelnasser previously served for the foreign affairs minister of Egypt as chief of cabinet (2001-2002) and a member of cabinet member (1999-2000).

• Abderahman S. Abderahman departed the post of minister on Aug. 30.

• Karim A. Haggag departed the post of second secretary on Aug. 30.

• Hussein Abdel Karim Mubarak assumed the position of counselor on July 31. From August 1998 to July 2002, Mubarak served as the director of international legal affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt.

• Alaa-Eldin Mohamed Youssef assumed the position of counselor on July 31.

Ethiopia

• Demeke Atnafu assumed the position of counselor in August. Atnafu previously served as counselor and head of the Economic and Political Departments at the Embassy of Ethiopia in India (1998-2002), and in the OAU Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ethiopia (1994-1998).

• Taye Atske-Selassie departed the post of consul-general in August to become the consulate general of Ethiopia in Los Angeles in October. Atske-Selassie served as counselor and head of the Community Affairs Department at the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington (2000-2002), and counselor and head of the Political and Community Affairs Departments at the Ethiopian Embassy in Sweden (1998-2000).

European Union

• Peter Berz assumed the position of attaché in the trade section on Aug. 19.

• Alenssandro Damiani assumed the position of counselor in the transport, energy and environment section on Sept. 3.

• Piero Fabri assumed the position of first secretary-head of administration on Aug. 26.

• Thierry Mariotte assumed the position of assistant in the political and academic affairs section on Aug. 24.

• Pascal Tocquec assumed the position of attaché of Europol in August.

• Henney De Valk assumed the position of attaché of Europol in August.

Israel

• Daniel Ayalon became the ambassador of Israel to the United States in July. Ambassador Ayalon previously served as the foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and deputy foreign policy adviser to former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Benjamin Netanyahu (1997-2001), during which time he was a member of the Israeli delegations to summits of Sharm El-Sheikh (1997), Wye Plantation (1998) and Camp David (2000). Ambassador also served as director of the Bureau of Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997. Ambassador Ayalon holds a master’s of business administration from the University of Bowling Green in Ohio and is married with two children.

Kazakhstan

• Aigul Moldabekova assumed the position of second secretary on Sept. 10. Moldabekova previously served as third and second secretary at the Kazak Embassy in the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2002.

Kenya

• Simon M. Ole Meeli assumed the position of immigration first secretary on June 3, replacing Mennah Saidi who departed the post on June 3. Meeli joined the Department of Immigration in 1980, serving in physical immigration service at various airports in Kenya and as deputy office I in charge in the passports and visa sections at the Immigration Headquarters.

• Lina Ochieng assumed the position of commercial attaché on Aug. 5, replacing Peter Khamala Nyikuli who departed the post on Aug. 5. Ochieng joined the Department of External Trade in the Ministry of Trade in 1985. Her duties included promotion of Kenya’s exports and assisting in the formulation of export promotion policy. From 1985 to 1993, Ochieng led Kenya’s business delegation to various trade fairs in Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan. In 1993, Ochieng was deployed to the Regional Division where she worked to promote regional trade. She is married with three children.

Latvia

• Peteris Vinkelis departed the post of counselor on Sept. 9.

Niger

• Sidikou Fatima assumed the position of counselor on June 21, replacing Dabal Moussa. Fatima previously served as counselor in the Africa Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Niger (1998-2002) and counselor at the Niger Embassy in Benin (1997-1998).

Oman

• Lt. Col. Abdullah S.A. Al-Shanfari assumed the position of assistant defense, military, naval and air attaché on Aug. 1.

Pakistan

• Mohammad Sadiq assumed the position of deputy chief of mission on Aug. 5, replacing Zamir Akram who departed the post on July 18.

Spain

• Carmen G. de Amezua assumed the position of minister for cultural affairs on Aug. 19, replacing Juan M. Romero de Terreros who departed the post on July 29. Amezua served as consul general of Spain in Australia (1998-2002), department chair of the Diplomatic School at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Spain (1996-1998), and minister at the Spanish Mission for the Organization of American States in Washington (1991-1996).

Sri Lanka

• Ravinatha Aryasinha assumed the position of minister on Aug. 26. Aryasinha previously served as spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka (1995-2000) and as political correspondent with Sri Lanka National TV (1982-1988), with postings in the U.N. Office in Colombo (1993-1994) and in the Sri Lanka High Commission in India (1989-1991) as well. Aryasinha earned a doctorate in international relation from the School of International Service at American University.

• Chelliah Sivasothy Poolokasingham assumed the position of deputy chief of mission on Aug. 2. Poolokasingham, who joined the Foreign Service in 1975, previously served as the director general of economic affairs and administration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sri Lanka (2000-2002), ambassador of Sri Lanka to Austria and permanent representative to the United Nations in Vienna with concurrent accreditation to Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Slovak Republic and Yugoslavia (1997-2000), and high commissioner for Sri Lanka in the Maldives (1994-1997). Poolokasingham holds a bachelor’s degre e in general arts from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and is married with three children.

Tanzania

• Andrew Mhando Daraja became ambassador of Tanzania to the United States on July 2, replacing Mustafa S. Nyang’Anyi, who departed the post in May to become ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. Ambassador Daraja holds concurrent accreditation to Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela. He previously served as Tanzanian ambassador to Germany with concurrent accreditation to Austria, Poland, Switzerland and the Holy See (1995-2002), ambassador with special duties-private secretary to the president (1994-1995), and ambassador with special duties-personal assistant to the president (1991-1994). He also held several posts within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kenya and the Kenyan Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Ukraine

• Kostiantyn Symonenko is scheduled to depart the post of deputy trade representative on Oct. 15.

Uruguay

• Nelson Chaben departed the post of minister counselor in August.

• Ricardo Nario assumed the position of deputy chief of mission-minister counselor on June 1, replacing Carlos Mora, who departed the post in June. Nario previously served as deputy director general for integration and Mercosur (2000-2002) and deputy chief of mission at the Uruguayan Embassy in Brazil (1995-2000).