Susilo appoints 19 new ambassadors

Susilo appoints 19 new ambassadors

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono installed 19 new Indonesian
ambassadors to various countries on Friday, including the U.S.,
Britain and China.

For the prestigious post in Washington, Susilo appointed
Sudjadnan Parnohadiningrat, the number 2 in the foreign ministry,
to replace Soemadi DM Brotodiningrat.

R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa, a young and charismatic diplomat who
is presently working as the foreign ministry's chief spokesman as
well as the director general for ASEAN Cooperation, will fill the
vacant ambassadorial post in London. The post has been vacant
since October 2004 when Susilo appointed ambassador Juwono
Sudarsono as minister of defense.

Despite the suggestion from the House of Representatives that
more people from outside the foreign ministry should be appointed
as ambassadors, the career diplomats got the biggest share of the
postings on Friday.

Only three outsiders -- Maj. Gen. (ret) Sudradjat, a former
director general of defense strategy at the Ministry of Defense,
Salim Segaf Al-Jufrie, an executive of the Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS), and a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, Irzan
Tandjung -- were appointed as ambassadors. Sudradjat will lead
the Indonesian mission in China, Salim the one in Saudi Arabia
and Irzan the one in the Philippines.

The House members, who held selection hearings on the
government's nominations, had earlier questioned what it said was
the disproportionate number of foreign ministry officials
appointed compared to figures from outside the ministry.

Of the 19 newly inaugurated ambassadors, two were women career
diplomats, Retno Marsudi, who is currently director for West
European Affairs at the foreign ministry, and Lucia Helwinda
Rustam, the ministry's secretary to the directorate general of
multilateral, political, social and security affairs. Retno was
posted to Norway while Lucia to Switzerland.

The Acehnese Teuku Mohammad Hamzah Thayeb, who currently heads
the ministry's directorate for East Asia and the Pacific, was
named as the country's ambassador to Australia to replace Imron
Cotan. Imron held the post since November, 2003.

The ministry's director general for American and European
Affairs, Arizal Effendi, was installed as the new envoy to
France.

Herrijanto Soeprapto, who is currently the director general
for Asian and African affairs, was posted to Brunei Darussalam,
while Djoko Hardono, director general for protocol and consular
affairs, was posted to Canada.

Triyono Wibowo, the ministry's head of the personnel bureau,
will head the Indonesian mission in Austria.

Slamet Santoso Mustafa, who is currently the ministry's
inspector general, was named as ambassador to Spain.

F.X. Bambang Guritno was named as ambassador to Fiji, while
Sutjiptohardjo Donokusumo -- a career diplomat -- was appointed
ambassador to Laos, and Gde Djelantik to Peru.

Soegeng Rahardjo, director for dialog partners and
interregional cooperation, was appointed as ambassador to South
Africa, Deddy Sudarman to Ethiopia, and Sjachwien Adenan to
Marocco.