The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, has announced the nomination of 11 new ambassadors by the Government. The appointments are subject to agreement by the countries concerned, which include states negotiating to join the EU.
It is understood that the appointment of Mr Brendan Scannell as second secretary-general and head of the Department's Anglo-Irish division was also approved by the Government. Currently Ambassador to Israel, Mr Scannell takes over from Mr Daithi O Ceallaigh, who becomes Ambassador in London.
The present Ambassador to Denmark, Mr James Sharkey, has been nominated as Ambassador to Russia and seven other former Soviet republics. He will be replaced in Denmark by Mr Richard A. O'Brien, who is currently Ambassador to Australia.
The Minister recently announced that resident embassies were being opened in Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia and Estonia. The new ambassadors nominated to these EU candidate countries are as follows: Mr John Swift for Cyprus (currently Ambassador to the Netherlands); Mr Thomas Lyons for Slovakia (currently Ambassador to Iran); Mr Gary Ansbro for Slovenia; Mr Sean Farrell for Estonia.
The present Consul General in Edinburgh, Mr Dan Mulhall, is to become Ambassador to Malaysia and also to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Other ambassadorial nominations: Mr Martin Greene (Brazil); Mr Joseph Hayes (Czech Republic and Ukraine); Mr Declan Kelly (Australia and also Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands); Mr Thomas O. Bolster (Iran and Pakistan).
The opening of resident embassies in EU candidate countries is intended to underline the Government's commitment to enlargement, despite the rejection of the Nice Treaty. Seven of the 12 will now have resident embassies, and embassies in the remaining five are expected to open within two years.