The diplomat Rafael Dezcallar.
Luis Ayllón. 20/08/2018
The Spanish government asked for its agrément to the People’s Republic of China to appoint Rafael Dezcallar as Ambassador to Beijing, replacing Alberto Carnero, who has been in office for less than a year, according to sources consulted by The Diplomat.
Rafael Dezcallar is an experienced diplomat who, at present, was the «number two» in the Embassy of Spain before the Vatican. Between 2018 and 2012 he was Ambassador of Spain in Germany, and previously Ambassador to Ethiopia and General Director of Foreign Policy.
Member of a family of diplomats, along with his brothers Jorge and Alonso, since his entry into the Diplomatic Service in 1983, he has served in Honduras, Israel and Cuba, has been Consul General in Moscow and in Bogota, as well as Deputy General Director in the United Nations desk. In recent years he was General Secretary of the Spain-Brazil Council Foundation and Ambassador in Special Mission for the Pacific Alliance since 2015.
Alberto Carnero will enter after his replacement in the group of ambassadors who were appointed by the previous Government of Mariano Rajoy throughout 2017 and that the Executive of Pedro Sanchez has decided to replace despite taking a few months in office. Most of them are diplomats who are militants, have militated or are considered close to the PP or were high-ranking officials with José Manuel García-Margallo in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as The Diplomat has been reporting.
Alberto Carnero, appointed ambassador to China in October 2017 after four years as Ambassador to Austria, is considered closely linked to the former Prime Minister, José María Aznar, with whom he headed the Department of International Affairs and Security in Moncloa between 2002 and 2004. Subsequently, he directed FAES International’s Area and, between January 2012 and May 2013, he was director of the Cabinet of Minister García-Margallo.
