Celso Amorim

Infobox Politician (general)
name = Celso Nunes Amorim

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title= Minister of External Relations of Brazil
term_start= 2003
term_end=
predecessor=Celso Lafer
successor=
residence = Brasília, Brazil
office =
party =
profession= diplomat, politician

Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim (born 3 June, 1942 in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil) has served as the Foreign Minister of Brazil [http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/10/19/10075873.html Brazil will not 'sell' Amazon] Gulfnews] since 2003. He served a previous term as Foreign Minister from 1993-1995 under President Itamar Franco. Before his appointment as Foreign Minister, Amorim served as Brazil's ambassador to the United Kingdom [ [http://www.mre.gov.br/ingles/structure/foreing_relations/organizational/minister_foreign.asp CV of Celso Amorim on Ministry of External Relations website] ] .

Former government positions

Amorim has a long history of government service, beginning in 1987 when he was appointed Secretary for International Affairs for the Ministry of Science and Technology. He served in that position until 1989, when he was selected to be the Director-General for Cultural Affairs in the Ministry of External Relations. Amorim would be shifted again in 1990, moving to a new post as Director-General for Economic Affairs. In 1993, he was promoted to the position of Secretary General of the Brazilian foreign-affairs agency.

Ambassadorial positions

While serving in the Ministry of External Relations, Amorim spent large amounts of time working as an ambassador to the United Nations. Most notably, he represented Brazil on the Kosovo - Yugoslavia sanctions committee in 1998, and the Security Council panel on Iraq in 1999. Amorim was named as Brazil's permanent ambassador to the United Nations and the WTO later that year, and served for two years before taking assignment as the Brazilian ambassador to the United Kingdom in 2001.

WTO Controversy

On July 19, 2008, Amorim stirred up controversy by comparing the descriptions used by wealthier countries to characterize the agricultural concessions thet were offering during the Doha Round of WTO talks to the work of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels. This brought a swift condemnation from the U.S. State Department [ [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080720/ap_on_re_eu/wto_quoting_goebbels Brazil official's Nazi reference rocks WTO talks - Yahoo! News ] ] .

References

ee also

"Disagreements imply depth of ties for a regional leader" report of interview with Amorim by Richard Lapper and Jonathan Wheatley in the "Financial Times" (February 22 2007)