Bernardino León Gross
 Bernardino León Gross    (diplomat) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | Bernardino León Gross 1964-10-20 Málaga, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Spanish | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Universidad de Málaga | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | PSOE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spanish diplomat specializing in the Arab world who attended all Bilderbergs from 2006 to 2011
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Bernardino León Gross is a Spanish diplomat and politician and former United Nations Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya,[1] after which he accepted a highly lucrative position made for him by the United Arab Emirates.
León is a former Secretary General at the office of the Spanish Prime Minister, Sherpa for the G20 and Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. His diplomatic career has mainly been devoted to the Arab world. He was European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Southern Mediterranean.
He attended all Bilderbergs from 2006 to 2011.
Contents
The European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Southern Mediterranean
Bernardino León was appointed the European Union Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean by the Council of the European Union on 18 July 2011.[2][3] The Task Force constitute a new kind of European diplomacy, mobilising all EU resources and working with both public and private sectors, officially "to support the democratic transition through support to institution building, rule of law, good governance, respect for human rights, economic reforms and regional cooperation".[3][2]
EU Task Forces have been conducted with:
– Tunisia (28–29 September 2011) co-chaired by the High Representative Catherine Ashton and the Tunisian Prime Minister Béji Caïd Essebsi.[4]
– Jordan (22 February 2012) co-chaired by the High Representative Catherine Ashton and the Jordanian Prime Minister Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh[5]
– Egypt (13–14 November 2012) co-chaired by the High Representative Catherine Ashton and the Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr.[6]
Diplomatic career
In 1998, at the outset of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, León became personal adviser to the EU Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, Miguel Angel Moratinos, at the time when the Wye Accords were being negotiated. His mission was primarily focused in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine.
In 2001, León became head of the Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation, a Moroccan-Spanish institution for dialogue and mutual understanding among the different cultures and religions in the Mediterranean. During this period, León worked very closely with governments and civil society representatives. That was the case of Tunisia, for instance, where he worked with members of the opposition.
In 2003, Edward Said, Daniel Barenboim and Bernardino León, founded the Barenboim-Said Foundation, which focused on the West Eastern Divan orchestra for young musicians from the Arab countries of the Middle East and Israel.
From 2004 to 2008, León was the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. During this time, León was instrumental in the launch of the Alliance of Civilizations, a prestigious initiative proposed by Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, at the 59th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in 2005. It was co-sponsored by the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The initiative galvanized international action against extremism through the forging of international, intercultural and interreligious dialogue and cooperation. The Alliance places a particular emphasis on defusing tensions between the Western and Islamic worlds. During this period, he worked closely with Arab countries and was particularly involved in the negotiations between Cyprus and Turkey.
In 2008 Bernardino León was appointed Secretary General at the Office of the Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, which involved, among other responsibilities, the role as the main foreign policy advisor to the Prime Minister. In 2009 he was appointed, keeping his post as Secretary General of the Presidency, Sherpa for the G20, a forum in which he participated in all negotiations and summits and involved holding a very active role in major international economic and financial issues.
In 2011, León was appointed the European Union Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean by the EU High Representative and Vice President.[2][3]
United Nations Support Mission in Libya
On 14 August 2014, León was appointed United Nations Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, and took office on 14 September 2014,[7] succeeding Mr. Tarek Mitri of Lebanon. He was in turn succeeded by Mr. Martin Kobbler of Germany.
Late in his term as Special Representative, León was criticised after leaked emails[8] showed that he had had secret and cordial negotiations with the United Arab Emirates government whilst leading sensitive political negotiations with Libyan authorities in his role as a Special Representative of the United Nations in the Libya peace process, during the phase of the Skhirat agreement. According to the leaked emails, León was offered a highly lucrative position as the First Director General of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy,[9][10] which he subsequently accepted.[11][12] The situation threatened peace talks at the time when press reports based on the leaked emails indicated that the UAE was violating[13] United Nations arms embargoes on Libya.[14]
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/2006 | 8 June 2006 | 11 June 2006 | Canada Ottawa | 54th Bilderberg, held in Canada. 133 guests |
| Bilderberg/2007 | 31 May 2007 | 3 June 2007 | Turkey Istanbul | The 55th Bilderberg meeting, held in Turkey |
| Bilderberg/2008 | 5 June 2008 | 8 June 2008 | US Virginia Chantilly | The 56th Bilderberg, Chantilly, Virginia, 139 guests |
| Bilderberg/2009 | 14 May 2009 | 17 May 2009 | Greece Vouliagmeni | The 57th Bilderberg |
| Bilderberg/2010 | 3 June 2010 | 6 June 2010 | Spain Hotel Dolce Sitges Barcelona | The 122 guests met in the Hotel Dolce Sitges, Barcelona, Spain. |
| Bilderberg/2011 | 9 June 2011 | 12 June 2011 | Switzerland Hotel Suvretta St. Moritz | 59th meeting, in Switzerland, 129 guests |
References
- ↑ UN Press Release
- ↑ a b c http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2011:188:0024:0026:en:PDF
- ↑ a b c http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2012:165:0056:0058:EN:PDF
- ↑ http://eeas.europa.eu/tunisia/docs/20110929_taskforce_en.pdf
- ↑ http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/128114.pdf
- ↑ http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/133511.pdf
- ↑ https://www.un.org/press/en/2014/sga1495.doc.htm
- ↑ "Full text of email from UN Libya envoy Bernardino León to UAE foreign minister", Middle East Eye Press Release, 5 Nov 2015
- ↑ EDA Website
- ↑ "Leaked Emirati Emails Could Threaten Peace Talks in Libya", New York Times12 Nov 2015
- ↑ "Emirates Diplomatic Academy Appoints Top UN Diplomat Bernardino León Gross as its First Director General", PRNewswire Story
- ↑ http://www.eda.ac.ae/about-us/message-from-director-general
- ↑ "Leaked emails suggest UAE violated Libya arms embargo", AlJazeera 13 Nov 2015
- ↑ UN Security Council Resolution 1970 of 2011
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