• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 12 / 15 / 2010

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He was just a messenger, former envoy says. The Cuban-born ex-U.S. ambassador to Spain, Eduardo Aguirre Reyes, has written a noncommittal explanation of why he cannot expand on the WikiLeaks revelations about his diplomatic service in Madrid between 2005 and 2008.

The letter was published in the newspaper El País on Tuesday. In it, Aguirre says in part: "Apart from the disgust [the leaks] have caused me as a person, I am grieved at seeing the damage they caused to persons, entities, governments and countries on both sides of the Atlantic."

Although the media have asked him for comment, "my commitment to the country that adopted me (personally, legally and professionally) does not give me the corresponding autonomy to expand on, or delve into those leaks. It seems to me inappropriate to discuss or opine about matters and conversations that should not be shared publicly."

Documents from the embassy reveal that Aguirre was keen to implement President Bush's directives regarding Spain's foreign policy. In one instance, he conveyed to Washington the impression that Foreign Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos might not be experienced enough to deal with Cuba.

In his letter, Aguirre says he was just a conduit for information, a messenger. "As ambassador, my functions and duties always were to represent the interests of the United States in Spain, and simultaneously to communicate and clarify to my government the interests of Spain on issues of common interest," he writes.

"The cables reflect[ed] the message of the Mission, not necessarily the opinion of one diplomat in particular."

The grandson of Spaniards, Aguirre was born in Cuba in 1946 and emigrated to the United States in December 1961 during the Peter Pan exodus. He studied at Louisiana State University and took up banking. His c.v. shows he was president of the Bank of America's International Private Bank and acting chairman of the Export-Import Bank. Before his appointment by Bush to Madrid, he was director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The photo shows him with Moratinos in November 2008, when the foreign minister awarded the Grand Cross of Isabel la Católica to Aguirre.

Source: miamiherald.typepad.com/cuban_colada/2010/12/