6.10.2005
US Ambassador to Head Home After Four Years (Stuff.co.nz)
09 June 2005
By HANK SCHOUTEN
United States ambassador Charles Swindells is leaving after four years in New Zealand.
Mr Swindells' departure was announced in invitations sent out yesterday for July 4 Independence Day celebrations, which will also double as a farewell function.
His successor has not yet been named by the White House though the diplomatic process, where a nominee is formally put up and agreed to by the New Zealand Government, has been completed.
The ambassador, a wealthy financier and major fundraiser during George W Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, took up his Wellington post a month after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Mr Swindells, a suave and personable figure, has been the US face in an uneasy relationship with New Zealand. New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy, its unwillingness to contribute troops to the war in Iraq, and its unease at US policies on international issues such as global warming continue to be major irritants.
(More ... STUFF : POLITICS - STORY : New Zealand's leading news and information website) ¶ 20:29
By HANK SCHOUTEN
United States ambassador Charles Swindells is leaving after four years in New Zealand.
Mr Swindells' departure was announced in invitations sent out yesterday for July 4 Independence Day celebrations, which will also double as a farewell function.
His successor has not yet been named by the White House though the diplomatic process, where a nominee is formally put up and agreed to by the New Zealand Government, has been completed.
The ambassador, a wealthy financier and major fundraiser during George W Bush's 2000 presidential campaign, took up his Wellington post a month after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Mr Swindells, a suave and personable figure, has been the US face in an uneasy relationship with New Zealand. New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy, its unwillingness to contribute troops to the war in Iraq, and its unease at US policies on international issues such as global warming continue to be major irritants.
(More ... STUFF : POLITICS - STORY : New Zealand's leading news and information website) ¶ 20:29
