After a long wait, veteran State Department official Roberta Jacobson has finally has been confirmed to the position of U.S. ambassador to Mexico, which has been vacant since last summer. The U.S. Senate approved President Barack Obama’s nominee on Thursday. Jacobson becomes the first woman to hold the post.
Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement that the U.S. was sending “one of our finest diplomats to advance this important relationship.” “I have long relied on Roberta’s wise counsel and good cheer, and I am confident that as ambassador, she will bring her extensive experience and judgment to this critical post,” Kerry said in a statement.
Jacobson’s confirmation faced firm resistance from several lawmakers for nine months. The resistance was led by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and backed by others such as Ted Cruz and Robert Menendez, all who oppose the restoration of diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba. Jacobson played a key role in the reconnection between the two countries.
Jacobson’s confirmation was praised by Mexico’s Foreign Relations department, who said that it “demonstrates the importance of a bilateral relationship which, given its maturity, transcends internal situations.” “Ambassador Jacobson will give a new impetus to our bilateral relations and will contribute to the consolidating anew institutional structure, lending more certainty and solidity to this relationship,” continued Foreign Relations department in the statement it released.
Sen. Rubio is said to have agreed to allow the vote in exchange for assurances that U.S. sanctions against Venezuela would be renewed and possibly expanded once they expire at the end of the year. Rubio has pressed for an extension of the the U.S. sanctions against Venezuela that would freeze property and assets in the U.S. held by numerous Venezuelan officials, it also denies them visas in order to travel here, among other things. Rubio has been an advocate of broadening the sanctions in order to reprimand a larger number of higher ranking officials in the Venezuelan government whom are accused of violating human rights, corruption, and using violence to suppress opponents of the government.
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