Bolivia appoints first ambassador to US in 11 years: official

Bolivia appointed its first ambassador to the United States in 11 years on Tuesday, officials said, as the interim government resets the country’s foreign policy after the departure of Evo Morales. Walter Oscar Serrate Cuellar has been given the key posting, the foreign ministry announced on Twitter, filling a position left vacant since a diplomatic spat between La Paz and Washington in 2008.

The high-profile appointment, which has to be approved by Congress, comes as the caretaker government prepares to hold new elections that exclude Morales. Serrate previously served as Bolivia’s ambassador and permanent representative at the United Nations, the ministry said.

Under socialist Morales, Bolivia’s president for nearly 14 years, ties with the United States were tense. Relations took a turn for the worse under former US leader George W. Bush, with the expulsion of ambassadors from both countries in late 2008. Morales resigned on November 10 and fled to Mexico where he was granted political asylum after disputed October 20 elections ignited street protests.

Morales, who had been seeking a fourth term, claimed victory. But opposition groups said the results were rigged. Since declaring herself interim president, right-wing senator Jeanine Anez, who has been recognized by the United States, has wasted no time rewriting Bolivia’s foreign policy