The Washington Diplomat

Appointments - January 2004

Afghanistan
• Said Tayeb Jawad became ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States on Dec. 4. Ambassador Jawad previously served as chief of staff for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, as well as the president’s spokesman, press secretary and director of the Office of International Relations at the Presidential Palace from March 2001 to September 2003. In addition, he has worked as a writer and commentator on Afghan and international affairs. Ambassador Jawad was educated at the Afghan French Lycée Istiglal in Kabul and studied law and political science at Kabul University. In 1980, after the Soviet invasion, he went into exile in Germany, where he studied law at the Westfaelishe Wilhelms University. In 1986, Ambassador Jawad relocated to New York to work for a Wall Street firm and in 1989, moved to San Francisco and received an executive master’s of business administration degree from Golden Gate University. During his tenure as chief of staff to President Karzai, Ambassador Jawad was responsible for formulating policies, building national institutions, prioritizing reforms and implementing the president’s directives. As a legal professional, he has drafted legal documents and presidential decrees and reviewed major treaties and agreements, recently assisting with the drafting of the new Afghan constitution. Ambassador Jawad speaks English, German, French, Farsi and Pashto and is married to Shamim, a financial consultant, with one son.

Austria
• Margareta Ploder assumed the position of cultural attaché on Dec. 2, superseding Eleonora Windisch, who departed the post on Nov. 30. Ploder, who entered the diplomatic service in 1997, previously worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the departments for European Union affairs an d security policy and in the minister’s cabinet. Ploder has also served with the Austrian representation to NATO and the permanent representation to the European Union in Brussels.

Democratic Republic of Congo
• Serge Tshamala assumed the position of economic and financial first secretary on Sept. 1. Tshamala previously served as an adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2002-03) and as a consultant at the World Bank (2000-02). He holds a master’s degree in public affairs from American University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree in behavioral and social sciences from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Estonia
• Christian-Marc Liflander assumed the position of defense counselor in September.

Hungary
• Terez Denevan Dorombozi assumed the position of counselor on Sept. 1, superseding Ferenc Szebenyi, who departed the post on July 31. Dorombozi previously served as a counselor in the Department for the Americas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2001-03), deputy chief of mission at the Hungarian Embassy in Mexico (1996-2001), diplomatic adviser to the president of Hungary (1994-96), and various positions in the departments for Latin America, protocol, international organizations and archives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1976-94).

• Imre Helyes assumed the position of counselor, consul on Sept. 1, superseding Laszlo Bagi. Helyes, who began his foreign service career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974, previously served as director for international relations at the Office of the National Council of Justice (1998-2003), consul and consul-general at the Hungarian Consulate General in Los Angeles (1992-97), first secretary at the Hungarian Embassy in Nicaragua (1985-89), and third secretary at the Hungarian Embassy in Mexico (1976-81).

• Minaly Korintus assumed the position of counselor, agricultural attaché on Oct. 3, superseding Zsolt Horvath, who departed the post on Aug. 30. Korintus, who has worked in international trade for more than 20 years as a sales executive, previously served as agricultural secretary at the Hungarian Embassy Office of the Commercial Counselor in New York (1986-91). Korintus graduated from Budapest Technical University in 1977 with a degree in mechanical engineering.

Ukraine
• Mykhailo B. Reznik became ambassador of Ukraine to the United States on Nov. 26. Ambassador Reznik previously served as his country’s ambassador to China (2001-03) and Korea (1997-2001). In addition, he has served as head of the Trade and Economic Mission of the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington (1994-97), the first deputy minister of foreign economic relations and trade of Ukraine (1992-93), and various positions within the Ukrainian Ministry of Trade, including chairman of the State Foreign Trade Association UkrTechMashlmpex (1988-92), president of the State Trade Procurement Committee (1986-88), as well as vice president (1982-86) and general director (1973-82) of the Central Department of Public Catering. Ambassador Reznik has also represented Ukraine in the Trade Committee of the European Union and various other international organizations, in addition to heading the interstate Ukrainian-Slovak Government Committee. Ambassador Reznik graduated from the Kyiv Trade and Economic University in 1972, the Academy of the National Economy of Ukraine in 1977, and completed the Senior Executive Program at Stanford University Business School in 1992. He is married to Irina Reznik and has one daughter and one granddaughter.