Discontent among diplomats over the appointment of two former ministers without international experience as ambassadors

The Association of Diplomats warns of the "decline to the image" of Spain as politicians take over positions in international organizations

MADRID, 7 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The appointment of former ministers Héctor Gómez and Miquel Iceta respectively as new permanent representatives of Spain to the UN in New York and to UNESCO has generated discomfort among diplomats, who regret the lack of international experience of both to hold these positions that require a technical profile and warn of the impact that politicians copying this type of destinations may have on Spain's image.

In a statement, the Association of Spanish Diplomats (ADE), which brings together nearly 70% of the members of the Diplomatic Career, has expressed "its concern and disagreement" with both appointments, agreed upon in the Council of Ministers this Tuesday. at the proposal of the head of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares.

Although the board of directors of the ADE recognizes "the competence and discretion of the Government in matters of appointment of Embassy holders", as on previous occasions in which these appointments have occurred, it has once again made it clear that its members are "contrary" to appoint politicians who do not belong to the Diplomatic Career as ambassadors.

"It is particularly disturbing that these appointments have been made" to head the representation of Spain before the UN and UNESCO, "two especially technical and sensitive positions, especially in the current geopolitical situation, to which diplomats of proven professional value traditionally access in the field of international relations and, especially, in the complex world of multilateral diplomacy".

The ADE has drawn attention to the fact that with these two appointments there are now four embassies to international organizations in the hands of political ambassadors, "without any relevant international experience, with the loss to the image of the country that this entails, especially with appointments that affect several international organizations simultaneously.

In addition to UNESCO, which was already occupied by former Minister of Culture José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, and now the representation before the UN in New York, former Minister Carmen Montón is the representative before the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, while the former leader Socialist Manuel Escudero Zamora is in the OECD. To these we must add the former minister Isabel Celáa, ambassador to the Holy See, and Ángel Martín Peccis in Cuba.

In the embassies "matters of enormous importance for the interests of Spain and its citizens abroad are managed, so their management should not be entrusted to people who lack training and professional experience in diplomatic work," the statement defends.

The diplomats, who remember that they are civil servants, have "the technical training, accumulated experience and professional competence necessary to deal with these matters and to carry out the duties of the Diplomatic Mission with total effectiveness and with full loyalty to the Government of the day in defense of the interests of Spain and our fellow citizens".

Thus, the ADE has trusted that "in the interest of general interest, for future appointments of ambassadors this important responsibility will once again be entrusted exclusively to members of the Diplomatic Career."

Several diplomats with whom Europa Press has spoken have acknowledged discomfort over these latest appointments. In particular, more than the appointment of Iceta as ambassador to UNESCO, where he will be the third politician to hold the position in five years, the appointment of Héctor Gómez as ambassador to the UN, one of the most sought-after positions and one of the higher level destinations in the ranking.

Never before has a politician held this position, which diplomats recognize is very technical and requires vast knowledge of international politics. The closest thing is the case of Jorge Moragas who was appointed to this position after having been chief of staff of President Mariano Rajoy. However, Moragas is a career diplomat and is, in fact, currently stationed in Tanzania.

In general, diplomats are not in favor of politicians being appointed ambassadors and more so to "pay political favors", as one of those consulted points out, but in this case what has generated the most concern is the profile of Héctor Gómez himself, who In addition, having been Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism since last March, he was previously spokesperson for the PSOE in Congress for just one year and previously spokesperson before the Foreign Commission.

Thus, another diplomat recognizes that Iceta's appointment to UNESCO may seem more logical, given the position he has held; in the case of Gómez, it might have made more sense to appoint him to a position in which the commercial issue had greater weight or for example as ambassador to the OECD, a position held by fellow socialist politician Manuel María Escudero.

It should be remembered that Albares had indicated at the beginning of his career as minister that he wanted to bet on a "certain specialization" of the ambassadors, "especially in very relevant countries as far as possible." "It is important that they speak the language of the destination, that they have previous experience in the country and the region," he argued.

These statements were motivated by the reversal in the request for approval to be ambassador in Russia of Camilo Villarino, who had been chief of staff of Minister Arancha González Laya and who, like her, was investigated in relation to the reception in Spain of the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali.