Obama appoints new ambassador to Caracas

http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/06/28/en_pol_esp_obama-appoints-new-a_28A4102211.shtml

Obama appoints new ambassador to Caracas
Larry Palmer also worked at the US Embassies in the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Paraguay, as well as in South Korea and Sierra Leone


US President Barack Obama has appointed an experienced diplomat, Larry Palmer, as the new US Ambassador to Venezuela, the White House reported.

Obama nominated Palmer, who was previously responsible for the US Embassies at Honduras and Ecuador and presently runs a US-Latin America cooperation agency, to replace Patrick Duddy, at the US diplomatic mission in Caracas, a communiqué reported, as quoted by AFP.

Palmer, who should be ratified by the US Senate, also worked at the US Embassies to the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Paraguay, as well as in South Korea and Sierra Leone.

The news came the same day when Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Arturo Valenzuela conceded that for the United States, relationship with Venezuela is the toughest in Latin America, as Washington cannot see any willingness to talk from the government of President Hugo Chávez.

Duddy, the US Ambassador since August 2007, left the embassy in September 2008, when the United States and Venezuela recalled their ambassadors at a stalemate of the bilateral relations.

Later, in June 2009, both Washington and Caracas replaced their ambassadors and Duddy came back again. However, bilateral relations have not made much progress.

US ambassadors don't seem to have much stability in Venezuela. This guy may be in and out all the time. And if the Venezuelans keep up their hostilities, who knows, maybe the US will tell Colombia to invade Venezuela and take over its oil fields (the last is a tongue in cheek poke at the "US bases in Colombia are to help invade Venezuela" crowd).