William Walker (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
William Graham Walker is a veteran United States Foreign Service
diplomat who served as the US ambassador to El Salvador
and as the head of the Kosovo Verification Mission.
, and has served mostly in Latin America
, notably Bolivia
, Brazil
, El Salvador
, Honduras
, Peru
, and on the Argentina
desk at the US State Department.
From 1985-1988, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, with responsibility for relations with Central America
and Panama
. By coincidence, he shares his name with a historical soldier of fortune who in the 19th century attempted to conquer parts of Central America (and was ultimately executed). From 1988-1992, he served as Ambassador to El Salvador. He was the Vice President of the National Defense University
in Washington, D.C.
between 1994-1997.
In August 1997, Walker was named as a Special Representative of the Secretary General and was appointed to head the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium
(UNTAES). He led a mission consisting of some 800 UN civilian and 2,500 military peacekeepers and administrators. The mission was responsible for overseeing the peaceful reintegration of this Serb-controlled region of eastern Slavonia
into Croatia
following the end of the Croatian War
.
Walker was subsequently appointed to head the Kosovo Verification Mission, leading some 1400 international and 1500 local staff between October 1998 and June 1999 along with British Major General John Drewienkiewicz
, Walker's military adviser. This was a peacekeeping mission mounted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the ongoing violence in the Serbia
n province of Kosovo
. The mission was discontinued following the end of the Kosovo War
in June 1999.
On November 24, 2008, he became honorary citizen of Republic of Albania
, the title given by President Bamir Topi
. On January 15, 2009, on the 10th anniversary of the Račak massacre, he was awarded the Golden medal of freedom by President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo.
Walker was implicated by British Labour Party MP Alice Mahon
of being involved with the Contras
affair in Nicaragua
and then giving the go-ahead to the NATO intervention in Kosovo.
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
diplomat who served as the US ambassador to El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
and as the head of the Kosovo Verification Mission.
Political career
Walker was born in Kearny, New JerseyKearny, New Jersey
Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....
, and has served mostly in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, notably Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and on the Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
desk at the US State Department.
From 1985-1988, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, with responsibility for relations with Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. By coincidence, he shares his name with a historical soldier of fortune who in the 19th century attempted to conquer parts of Central America (and was ultimately executed). From 1988-1992, he served as Ambassador to El Salvador. He was the Vice President of the National Defense University
National Defense University
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy. It is chartered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Navy Vice Admiral...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
between 1994-1997.
In August 1997, Walker was named as a Special Representative of the Secretary General and was appointed to head the United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium
United Nations Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium
The United Nations Transitional Authority in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium was a UN peacekeeping mission in eastern parts of Croatia between 1996 and 1998...
(UNTAES). He led a mission consisting of some 800 UN civilian and 2,500 military peacekeepers and administrators. The mission was responsible for overseeing the peaceful reintegration of this Serb-controlled region of eastern Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
into Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
following the end of the Croatian War
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
.
Walker was subsequently appointed to head the Kosovo Verification Mission, leading some 1400 international and 1500 local staff between October 1998 and June 1999 along with British Major General John Drewienkiewicz
John Drewienkiewicz
Major General Karol John Drewienkiewicz CB CMG is a retired British Army officer.-Early life and education:Drewienkiewicz attended Stamford School, an independent boarding school in southern Lincolnshire, alongside Mike Jackson, with whom he later served in Kosovo and who went on to become the...
, Walker's military adviser. This was a peacekeeping mission mounted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the ongoing violence in the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n province of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. The mission was discontinued following the end of the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
in June 1999.
On November 24, 2008, he became honorary citizen of Republic of Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
, the title given by President Bamir Topi
Bamir Topi
Bamir Myrteza Topi is the fifth and current President of Albania since 24 July 2007. He was also Honorary President of Albanian football club KF Tirana from 2005 to 2007.-Early life and public activities:...
. On January 15, 2009, on the 10th anniversary of the Račak massacre, he was awarded the Golden medal of freedom by President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo.
Walker was implicated by British Labour Party MP Alice Mahon
Alice Mahon
Alice Mahon is a British former Labour Party politician and trade unionist.She was Member of Parliament for Halifax from 1987 until 2005. She is a left-winger who was a member of the Socialist Campaign Group and is a Eurosceptic...
of being involved with the Contras
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
affair in Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and then giving the go-ahead to the NATO intervention in Kosovo.