NEWS RELEASES
June 22, 2005 (9:15 a.m. EDT)
No. 112
DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT
Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today announced the following diplomatic
appointment:
John T. Holmes, Canada’s Ambassador to Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, will also
serve as Canada’s Ambassador to the Republic of Iraq.
“Ambassador Holmes is Canada’s first ambassador to Iraq in this significant period of
transition to democracy,” said Mr. Pettigrew. “The appointment of a non-resident
ambassador represents an important step in the re-establishment of Canada’s
diplomatic representation in Iraq. It further demonstrates Canada’s intention to deepen
and enhance bilateral relations with the new Iraqi government. It will also smooth the
process of re-establishing a Canadian embassy and improve the delivery of Canada’s
$300-million program to support reconstruction and the transition to democracy in Iraq.”
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A biographical note is attached.
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Sébastien Théberge
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs Canada
(613) 995-1874
http://www.international.gc.ca
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
John T. Holmes (BA, McGill University, 1978; LLB, McGill University, 1982) joined the
Department of External Affairs in 1982 and served abroad in Bridgetown, in Accra and
in New York at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations. In Ottawa, he
held a number of positions including Director, Legal Advisory Division. From 2002 to
2003, he served as Director of the United Nations Human Rights and Economic Law
Division. In July 2003, he was appointed Ambassador to Jordan. He is married to Carol
Bujeau, and they have two children.
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