Bogota-Washington ties evolving: Ambassador

[Judi Lynn]

Bogota-Washington ties evolving: Ambassador
Thursday, 21 October 2010 12:56 Teresa Welsh

U.S. Ambassador to Bogota Michael McKinley told a Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce forum that the relationship between the two countries must mature into one between partners.

"This relationship is evolving beyond drug trafficking, security, and the free trade agreement. It must be a relationship of partners, mature, and based on the priorities of the country and of the new government" of President Juan Manuel Santos, said McKinley.

The ambassador's statements echoed recent calls by Santos to broaden the relationship with the U.S. "We would like to move from being recipients of aid to being strategic partners. We are looking for a relationship, as President Barack Obama put it himself, that is more face-to-face, where we can help one another" the president said earlier in October.

Colombia is consistently the 5th or 6th largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid, and the top recipient of aid in Latin America, receiving more than $8 billion in the last ten years.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/12504-michael-mckinley-speaks-commerce-forum-bogota.html

~~~~~
Brownfield's gone, apparently!

Looked for info. in the new guy:

Obama nominates new ambassador to Colombia
Friday, 07 May 2010 18:03 Hannah Stone

http://colombiareports.com.nyud.net:8090/pics/us/michael_mc_kinley.jpg

President Barack Obama on Friday nominated Peter Michael McKinley as the next U.S. ambassador to Colombia, reports Semana.

McKinley has served as U.S. ambassador to Peru since 2007. He held the post of deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires at the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels from 2004 - 2007, and previously had similar roles in the U.S. embassies in Mozambique, Uganda and Belgium.

The career diplomat has also served in the U.S. embassies in London and Bolivia.

McKinley was born in Venezuela and grew up in Brazil, Mexico, Spain and the United States. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford in the U.K., according to the website of the U.S. embassy in Peru, and has published a book about the colonial history of Venezuela.

More:
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/9612-obama-nominates-new-ambasssador-to-colombia.html

[Bacchus39]

1. I wonder if Santos will accept him n/t

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