pollywood | diplomatic dance
Summer Dispatches Very special national days, diplomatic moves and a summer barbecue By gail scott
Oval Office Access Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco, the former foreign minister of her country and the daughter of a former Colombian president, enjoys extremely good access at the highest levels of the Bush Administration. It seems that her father, Virgilio Barco, and the President’s father, President George H.W. Bush, held their nation’s presidency simultaneously and enjoyed each other’s company. So, each summer when Colombia’s July 22 national day rolls around, President George W. Bush has hosted a celebration in the White House for Colombia. The first year, 1996, it was Foreign Minister Barco who was there with then-Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno. This year, Mrs. Barco returned to the Oval Office the very next day as well, with Colombia’s much-in-the-news defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos, who came specifically to thank the U.S. for its assistance in helping with the July 27 release of four political hostages — which included Ingrid Betancourt, the celebrated French-born woman who was running for Colombia’s presidency when she was captured. “None of this would have been possible without the kind of training we received from the United States and ‘Plan Colombia.’ It absolutely made the difference and our defense minister
Do You Know
embassy row? • Which ambassador has an original Andy Warhol hanging over his living room fireplace? • Which Embassy has the smallest but most stunning powder room? • Which Embassy has a new showcase kitchen with appliances and utensils from that country? Answers in the October Diplomatic issue of Washington Life.
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handsome couple kept running into other envoys who rolled down their windows to offer them rides. “Oh, we’d much rather walk,” the Prince replied. “This is all new to us.”
President Bush and Colombian Ambassador Carolina Barco in the Oval Office
wanted to thank America and the Congress on behalf of all Colombians,” Mrs. Barco explained, noting that she also hopes to soon achieve freedom for several hundred remaining hostages. “Colombia is very, very lucky,” says this seasoned envoy, who is working against a recalcitrant Congress to win a Free Trade Agreement for her country. “His father and my father were presidents at the same time, so when this President Bush sees me, he always says,‘Hola, Amiga!’This president is a very warm man with such marvelous energy.”
Welcome to Kalorama Jordan’s Prince Zeid Al-Hussein and his family have moved into Kalorama from McLean where Jordan’s former suburban cul-de-sac residence had gone through endless rehab. “We love it here,” the polished diplomat said of posh Kalorama, “Everything is so close.” Strolling along one night with his wife, Princess Sarah, to attend farewell parties for Egyptian Ambassador Nabil Fahmy and his wife Nermin on Sheridan Circle and Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Zbogar and his wife, Maja, over on California Street, the
C’est la vie! To celebrate Bastille Day on July 14th, huge gold stars hung from La Maison Française’s high ceilings to celebrate the EU Presidency rotating to France. French Ambassador Pierre Vimont invited his close friend, Parisian banker Collette Cove, to join him in the receiving line where they personally shook hands with each of the 2,400 guests. MadameVimont was nowhere in sight.The still-married Vimonts have not been together for over two decades. C’est la vie en France! High-Ranking Neighbors Newly-arrived Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki and his wife Yoriko (who went to kindergarten here) feel at home already with their black lab, Skipper. All three greeted guests at Japan’s Annual Summer Barbecue in July, where luncheon guests included Congressional staffers, members of the press, and next-door neighbor Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafström, who arrived bearing a bouquet. Sitting down to enjoy sushi, baby lamb chops and watermelon, the handsome, trim blond Swede was bombarded by other neighbors vying to be his tennis partner on his deliciously discreet backyard court. Undiplomatic in Any Language Diplomacy isn’t always so diplomatic. One popular European ambassador recently discovered he was being replaced by reading about it in his hometown newspaper while he was accompanying President Bush on a visit to his homeland. Bad form! Readers wishing to get in touch with Gail Scott can email: columns@washingtonlife.com.
WA S H I N G T O N L I F E
| se p te m b e r
2008
| washingtonlife.com