Clinton rewards Malta with top diplomat for ambassador

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday thanked Malta for its “extraordinary” response to the Arab Spring and announced the appointment of a highly-experienced diplomat as the new US Ambassador.

“Malta may be a small nation in size (but) its contributions to regional peace and security are significant. The US highly values this partnership and we look forward to working even more closely in the future,” Mrs Clinton told the press after a 45-minute private meeting with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at his office in Valletta.

Her visit, which comes exactly six months after the resignation of former Ambassador Douglas Kmiec, is the first to the island by a US Secretary of State since the 1989 Bush-Gorbachev summit, when the end of the Cold War was famously announced. It was the first time a US Secretary of State met a Maltese Prime Minister for a one-on-one policy meeting in Malta.

Mrs Clinton said she was delighted to announce that President Barack Obama had selected “one of (the US’s) most experienced diplomats”, Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, as the new ambassador.

Ms Abercrombie-Winstanley, an African-American, is a career diplomat who served in Baghdad, Jakarta, Cairo and Tel Aviv and is the deputy coordinator for programmes and policy in the office of the Coordinator for Counter-terrorism. She is the first US career diplomat to be posted in Malta in 25 years.

She served as director of the Office of Egypt and the Levant under the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs where she handled Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan. She had been honoured for her “acts of courage” during the 2004 terrorist attack on the US Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Mrs Clinton’s visit was blessed with perfect weather, which she got to appreciate during a quick tour of the Upper Barrakka Gardens on her request.

Dr Gonzi led the spontaneous tour, showing her the views of the Grand Harbour as surprised tourists and Maltese onlookers took photos and cheered.

Dr Gonzi said earlier that US-Malta relations had been strengthened throughout the years but culminated with the recent events in the Mediterranean.

“History has demanded Malta take on a specific role,” he said, adding that the historic and tremendous changes transforming the Mediterranean meant “good news” for the island and the rest of the world.

He said the violent phase of the transformation was hopefully nearing its end and Malta would now start offering support in the redevelopment of Libya, Egypt and Tunisia after serving in a humanitarian capacity.

Dr Gonzi thanked Mrs Clinton for her country’s continuous support in the resettlement of refugees seeking asylum in Malta.

On her part, Mrs Clinton thanked Dr Gonzi, his government and the people of Malta for supporting the aspirations of people fighting for democracy in their countries and for “going the extra mile” to help US citizens in the evacuation process.

She said Dr Gonzi was on the frontline of watching the conflict and had even helped “counsel” the new leaders of Libya. He was therefore very well acquainted with the challenges and opportunities being faced by the region.

“We stand ready to assist in every way possible with Malta’s critical role... There is no doubt that Malta will continue playing a critical role in helping to establish rule of law and providing health and education services and to help create an inclusive government that will represent all Libyans from all over the country and, of course, including the women of Libya.”

She said Malta’s “unique geography, history and expertise” would make it a valued partner in such efforts.

Mrs Clinton thanked Malta for its efforts to stem the flow of human trafficking and assisting political refugees from conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa.

“The US appreciates Malta’s leadership in this area including its work with the international community to interdict prohibited Iranian cargo, to deny port access to ships carrying illegal cargos and working as a partner in the enforcement of the UN sanctions.”

Although her visit coincided with the release of imprisoned Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and, in return, some 500 Palestinians, Mrs Clinton made it a point not to mention the issue, which was simultaneously making headlines around the world.

Journalists were not allowed to ask questions when Mrs Clinton and Dr Gonzi addressed the press at Castille but when journalists asked twice for her reaction Mrs Clinton only smiled.

Mrs Clinton yesterday proceeded to Libya for an unannounced visit.