Vygaudas Ušackas previously served as Lithuania's foreign minister from Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2010, when he resigned after President Dalia Grybauskaitė declared she had no confidence in him.
VILNIUS — Former Lithuanian foreign minister Vygaudas Ušackas has been named the European Union’s envoy to Afghanistan, just weeks after his resignation from the Lithuanian Cabinet.
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, announced Monday that Ušackas would be both the special representative to Afghanistan and the [private_supervisor]head of the EU delegation in Kabul.
“He is a fantastic appointment. I am a hundred percent satisfied that this is the right person and there’s nothing that I need to be worried about,” Ashton said, moving to disassociate the Lithuanian president’s dismissal of Ušackas’ from his new job.
Controversial pick
However, Ušackas’ appointment is divisive withing the EU. Pino Arlacchi, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Afghanistan said Ušackas’ involvement in the alleged CIA prison cover-up compromises his work in the South Asian nation.
“I am not convinced that Mr Ušackas possesses the requisite knowledge or profile to take on this task,” Arlacchi said. “Furthermore, his reputation and independence could be compromised by media reports that he has been complicit in withholding the truth about CIA rendition activities in Lithuania. At the very least we need clarity and openness with respect to his role in this affair if he is to have any credibility on the ground in Afghanistan.”
Ušackas supporters point out that there is no definitive proof that he was aware of the program’s existence.
“There is no evidence that Ušackas knew about a secret detention facility operated by the CIA in Lithuania,” Leonidis Donskis, a European Parliament member for Lithuania, said.
In Kabul, Ušackas will coordinate the bloc’s security and development aid with Afghan authorities and other key players, such as NATO and the United Nations.
Ušackas served as Lithuania’s foreign minister from Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2010, when he resigned after President Dalia Grybauskaitė declared she had no confidence in him.[/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]head of the EU delegation in Kabul.
“He is a fantastic appointment. I am a hundred percent satisfied that this is the right person and there’s nothing that I need to be worried about,” Ashton said, moving to disassociate the Lithuanian president’s dismissal of Ušackas’ from his new job.
Controversial pick
However, Ušackas’ appointment is divisive withing the EU. Pino Arlacchi, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Afghanistan said Ušackas’ involvement in the alleged CIA prison cover-up compromises his work in the South Asian nation.
“I am not convinced that Mr Ušackas possesses the requisite knowledge or profile to take on this task,” Arlacchi said. “Furthermore, his reputation and independence could be compromised by media reports that he has been complicit in withholding the truth about CIA rendition activities in Lithuania. At the very least we need clarity and openness with respect to his role in this affair if he is to have any credibility on the ground in Afghanistan.”
Ušackas supporters point out that there is no definitive proof that he was aware of the program’s existence.
“There is no evidence that Ušackas knew about a secret detention facility operated by the CIA in Lithuania,” Leonidis Donskis, a European Parliament member for Lithuania, said.
In Kabul, Ušackas will coordinate the bloc’s security and development aid with Afghan authorities and other key players, such as NATO and the United Nations.
Ušackas served as Lithuania’s foreign minister from Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2010, when he resigned after President Dalia Grybauskaitė declared she had no confidence in him.[/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]head of the EU delegation in Kabul.
“He is a fantastic appointment. I am a hundred percent satisfied that this is the right person and there’s nothing that I need to be worried about,” Ashton said, moving to disassociate the Lithuanian president’s dismissal of Ušackas’ from his new job.
Controversial pick
However, Ušackas’ appointment is divisive withing the EU. Pino Arlacchi, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Afghanistan said Ušackas’ involvement in the alleged CIA prison cover-up compromises his work in the South Asian nation.
“I am not convinced that Mr Ušackas possesses the requisite knowledge or profile to take on this task,” Arlacchi said. “Furthermore, his reputation and independence could be compromised by media reports that he has been complicit in withholding the truth about CIA rendition activities in Lithuania. At the very least we need clarity and openness with respect to his role in this affair if he is to have any credibility on the ground in Afghanistan.”
Ušackas supporters point out that there is no definitive proof that he was aware of the program’s existence.
“There is no evidence that Ušackas knew about a secret detention facility operated by the CIA in Lithuania,” Leonidis Donskis, a European Parliament member for Lithuania, said.
In Kabul, Ušackas will coordinate the bloc’s security and development aid with Afghan authorities and other key players, such as NATO and the United Nations.
Ušackas served as Lithuania’s foreign minister from Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2010, when he resigned after President Dalia Grybauskaitė declared she had no confidence in him.[/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]head of the EU delegation in Kabul.
“He is a fantastic appointment. I am a hundred percent satisfied that this is the right person and there’s nothing that I need to be worried about,” Ashton said, moving to disassociate the Lithuanian president’s dismissal of Ušackas’ from his new job.
Controversial pick
However, Ušackas’ appointment is divisive withing the EU. Pino Arlacchi, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Afghanistan said Ušackas’ involvement in the alleged CIA prison cover-up compromises his work in the South Asian nation.
“I am not convinced that Mr Ušackas possesses the requisite knowledge or profile to take on this task,” Arlacchi said. “Furthermore, his reputation and independence could be compromised by media reports that he has been complicit in withholding the truth about CIA rendition activities in Lithuania. At the very least we need clarity and openness with respect to his role in this affair if he is to have any credibility on the ground in Afghanistan.”
Ušackas supporters point out that there is no definitive proof that he was aware of the program’s existence.
“There is no evidence that Ušackas knew about a secret detention facility operated by the CIA in Lithuania,” Leonidis Donskis, a European Parliament member for Lithuania, said.
In Kabul, Ušackas will coordinate the bloc’s security and development aid with Afghan authorities and other key players, such as NATO and the United Nations.
Ušackas served as Lithuania’s foreign minister from Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2010, when he resigned after President Dalia Grybauskaitė declared she had no confidence in him.[/private_subscription 1 year]
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