WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama has appointed veteran Latin American affairs diplomat Roberta S. Jacobson, who played a key role in his drive to open up relations with Cuba, to a key post as the next US ambassador to Mexico, the White House announced.
Announcing her new post on Monday, along with three other appointments, Obama said “Jacobson and her colleagues have demonstrated knowledge and dedication throughout their careers,” Obama said.
“I am grateful they have chosen to take on these important roles, and I look forward to working with them,” Obama added.
From 2010 to 2012, Jacobson was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs as well as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Canada, Mexico, and NAFTA issues from 2007 to 2010.
She also served as Director of the Office of Mexican Affairs from 2003 to 2007.
Mexico is due to hold mid-term elections on June 7, 2015, but the country continues to suffer from a growing wealth gap and metastasizing drug violence across the north. More recently, poppy cultivation has surged to meet the growing demands for heroin in the United States.
