Appointment of Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia

Ljubljana, 21.11.2008  |  press release

The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Danilo Türk, has examined the proposals of the Slovenian Government regarding the appointment of ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary, as well as the candidacy for the post of Slovenian ambassador to Vienna, of which he had been notified.

Mr Türk repeatedly drew the attention of the Slovenian Government to the substantive and procedural deficiencies of the proposals, resulting in additional work to collect the requisite documentation and conduct interviews with the proposed candidates. These activities provided a sufficient basis to make a decision, which, according to President Türk, was necessary at this point in time, as the entire situation in connection with the procedures of recall and appointment of ambassadors was unproductive and should be brought to its conclusion in a constructive manner. However, his decision certainly will not solve the underlying problems relating to the Government's unsubstantiated proposals submitted to the President. Despite several requests, they have not been supplemented with adequate evidence; the President hopes that in the future this will not happen again. Based on further activities and his knowledge of this area, the President nevertheless obtained enough data to assess the submitted proposals and candidacies in a thoughtful and well-reasoned manner. This facilitated his decision as to which candidates were suitable in terms of legal requirements and professional and personal qualities to be entrusted, pursuant to the President's constitutional powers, to perform their ambassadorial duties properly.

Against this background, President Türk appointed all those candidates who met the legal requirements and about whom he was confident that they would discharge their ambassadorial duties in a high-quality, professional manner. The candidates appointed by him to the office of ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia are as follows: Mr Bogdan Benko (Copenhagen), Mr Jo¾ef Hlep (Pri¹tina), Mr Tone Kajzer (Helsinki), Mr Leon Marc, MSc (The Hague) and Ms Anita Pipan, MSc (Brussels). As regards the candidacy of Mr Iztok Jarc, President Türk asked the Government of the Republic of Slovenia to communicate additional data furnishing evidence that Mr Jarc meets the conditions to be appointed head of the diplomatic mission pursuant to the Foreign Affairs Act. Mr Jarc was appointed minister of agriculture directly from the post of ambassador. Before taking a decision on his appointment, Mr Türk therefore wishes to establish whether Mr Jarc also meets the relevant conditions in view of the recent legislative amendment.

The situation regarding the other candidates indicates that the President will not be able to issue decrees on their appointment. Some of them do not meet legal requirements, some lack professional experience, and some through their conduct have not demonstrated the qualities expected of ambassadors. There are also candidates who have demonstrated several of the aforementioned deficiencies. The President expects the Government to initiate a procedure for the selection of new candidates to head the diplomatic missions in Bratislava, Berlin, Vienna, Kiev, Moscow, Tehran and Washington.

This resolves the situation associated with the procedures of recall and appointment of ambassadors that emerged in the previous months. This is also a solution which needs to be adopted in the present situation in order to preserve the reputation of Slovenian diplomacy, to ensure compliance with the Foreign Affairs Act and to prevent ambassadorial posts from being granted according to political affiliation or personal friendship. This area will, of course, require further activities, which will establish order and clear rules applicable to all, and will provide for a reputable, respected and professional diplomatic corps of the Republic of Slovenia.