São Paulo – The Brazilian Foreign Ministry is switching positions for diplomats assigned to Middle East and North Africa countries. In a communiqué issued last Monday (26th), the ministry announced that the Sudanese government has granted an agrément (authorization) for Luiz Eduardo de Aguiar Villarinho Pedroso to take charge of the embassy in Khartoum. He was the joint consul-general to Beirut, the second in the chain of command of Brazil’s consulate-general to the Lebanese capital.
As per the Brazilian Constitution, Pedroso will now undergo a questioning session from the Senate. He will undergo two questionings – one from the Foreign Relations Commission and another from the Plenary – before he is approved. If this is the case, the Legislative Power will submit his name for the Presidency’s approval, and the latter will announce the new ambassador by means of a decree.
The diplomat may only assume his position once the decree has been issued. According to the Foreign Ministry, there is no set date for the decree’s issuance, because the questioning sessions depend on the Senate’s schedule.
Before Pedroso’s inauguration, Antônio Carlos do Nascimento Pedro will remain as the diplomat in charge of the Brazilian embassy to Khartoum, a position he has been in since 2009. Afterwards, Pedro will head on to the Brazilian embassy in Kuwait, where he will replace Roberto Abdalla. Abdalla’s new position has not been defined yet.
The Foreign Ministry said it is normal to switch diplomats, and that they usually spend two to four years in each position before being assigned new positions.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
