MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Six ambassadors present credentials in Uruguay, including UK, Germany and Chile

President Mujica with Chilean ambassador Patricio Petrel

Six ambassadors presented their credentials to Uruguayan president Jose Mujica during a ceremony held at the Executive Tower on Tuesday. The first to meet President Mujica was UK ambassador Ben Lyster-Binns.

Mr Lyster-Binns joined the British Diplomatic Service in 1989 and has carried out a variety of roles in London most recently as Deputy Head of the International organizations Department of the FCO dealing with United Nations issues. His last overseas posting was to Lisbon, where he was Deputy Head of Mission.

Twenty minutes later President Mujica received German ambassador Dr. Heinz Peters, who is an expert in Iberia and Latinamerican history from the Cologne University. He joined the German diplomatic service in 1982 and has held posts in Poland, Croatia, and France as well as in Brasilia, 1989, and Buenos Aires, 1994.

The other ambassadors were Sami Mahmoud Ali Salem from Egypt, Patricio Pradel from Chile, Canadian ambassador Claire Poulin and Juan José Cueba Membreño from Honduras.

The Chilean ambassador joined the diplomatic service in 1978 and has held posts in Cuba, Geneva, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Panama and Italy. In Santiago he was Deputy Director of Foreign ministry Planning Department; deputy chief to the Unasur presidency and head of the UN Office in the Multilateral Affairs Department.

His last job was ambassador in Trinidad Tobago and concurrent in Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Surinam, St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Canadian ambassador Claire Poulin is a former ambassador to El Salvador and is also an expert Central American and indigenous affairs.