05/24/2011— Various sources have reported that President Barack Obama plans to nominate Earl Anthony Wayne, a career diplomat, as the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Wayne is currently serving as the deputy ambassador at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan and is the former U.S. ambassador to Argentina. He has worked for the foreign service for over 35 years. The decision to make Wayne the official U.S. ambassador to Mexico still waits on the approval of both the U.S. Senate and the Mexican government and has yet to be submitted to either.
Approval pending, Wayne will replace former ambassador Carlos Pascual who resigned in March due to heavy criticism for his statements made about President Calderón’s strategies to crack down on narco-trafficking, which were discovered through Wiki-Leaks cables. If elected, he would serve as an “interim” ambassador until the end of Calderón’s presidential term, which will end in 2012. Given Calderón’s and Pascual’s rather tense relationship, the appointment of a more neutral and veteran ambassador in Wayne may help ease relations, despite his lack of experience in Latin America and Mexico in particular, writes the Houston Chronicle.
Sources:
Associated Press. “U.S. plans to nominate new ambassador to Mexico.” Boston Herald. May 24, 2011.
“Washington lines up new U.S. ambassador to Mexico.” Guadalajara Reporter. May 24, 2011.
Pingback: Rumors, Rumors….from Kabul | thebrokencorral