Kerry swears in new U.S. envoy to PHL

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 22): Kerry swears in new U.S. envoy to PHL

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has sworn in veteran diplomat Philip Goldberg as Washington’s top envoy to the Philippines as the country grapples with the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda, which devastated the Visayas region on Nov. 8.

Kerry administered the oath to Goldberg in ceremonies at the Department of State on Thursday, a few days after the U.S. Senate gave its concurrence to his appointment.

“As we struggle to respond to this human disaster, we are proud that we are sending to the Philippines the right person to do the job,” Kerry said in his remarks. “Phil Goldberg is a consummate professional who has held an enormous array of positions in the Foreign Service.”

Secretary Kerry broke tradition for the third time since he took over the State Department by personally swearing in Goldberg -- a task normally performed by a Deputy Secretary or an Undersecretary.

In his response, Goldberg said he heads to the Philippines with mixed emotions.

“I’m excited and honored to be going to the Philippines, a country with which we share so much history. At the same time, it’s hard to think of the suffering of so many people in the Philippines in recent weeks and all they’ve endured without a touch of sadness and without being moved,” he said.

“If I’ve learned one thing from the Filipino friends I’ve made all around the world, and there are Filipinos all around the world, it’s that they are warm, but they are also tough and resilient. There should be no doubt that they will bounce back. I have no doubt,” Ambassador Goldberg added.

Prior to his appointment by President Obama, Goldberg served as Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research and as Coordinator for Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874 on North Korea.

Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia said he looks forward to the arrival of Goldberg in Manila where he is expected play a key role in ongoing U.S. efforts to help the Philippines deal with the devastation wrought by the storm, also known by its international name Haiyan.

The record-breaking typhoon decimated towns and villages, affected millions and killed at least 4,000.

“Ambassador Goldberg is a seasoned diplomat who can be expected to bring relations between our two countries to greater heights,” Cuisia said.

Goldberg, who replaces Harry Thomas, is expected to depart for Manila on Monday.

A native of Boston, Goldberg served as ambassador to Bolivia from 2006 to 2008; Chief of Mission in Pristina, Kosovo from 2004 to 2006; and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile from 2001 to 2004.

A career diplomat, Goldberg served as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs from January to June 2001; Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott from 1996 to 1998 and later as his Executive Assistant from 1998 to 2000.

He was the Desk Officer on Bosnia at the State Department from 1994 to 1996 and was a member of the U.S. negotiating team in the lead-up to the Dayton Peace Conference and Chief of Staff for the U.S. Delegation at Dayton. Ambassador Goldberg has served overseas as a consular and political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia and political and economic officer in Pretoria, South Africa.

Before joining the Foreign Service, Goldberg worked for several years as a liaison officer between the City of New York and the United Nations and the consular community.

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