Non-appointment of new US ambassador unintentional

-Williams

Outgoing US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Karen Williams has said there is no underlying reason for the failure to appoint a new US ambassador to Guyana, saying it is usually a lengthy process.

Williams could not shed any light on when a new ambassador will be appointed, when she spoke with reporters yesterday. USAID Guyana Mission Director Carol Horning will be heading the mission until next month, when Tom Pierce will assume the post of chargé d’affaires.

According to Williams, sometimes nominations for ambassadors come out quickly and other times it takes a while. “There is no plan that there should be a lengthy gap,” she said, “this is just how the process works.”

Williams pointed out that the last three weeks nominations came out for Jamaica and Panama. Jamaica was without an ambassador since the inauguration of President Barack Obama. In the interim, the post was filled by a political appointee. “For the career appointees, there is one office at the White House that is in charge for all appointments, not just for ambassadors but also for people who serve on boards, at all of the executive agencies. That’s a lot of people and for each of them there is a vetting process that is done before the name ever comes out of the White House, so it is a lengthy process,” she explained.

Williams, meanwhile, will be moving to Florida to take up a State Department position at one of the country’s military commands. She has headed the mission since last year, when Ambassador John Jones was forced to cut his assignment short due to illness.