Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte Visits El Salvador
June 3, 2008

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Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte arrived in El Salvador June 3.  He will meet with Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca and other government representatives.  He will also meet with business sector and civil society representatives during his two-day stay.

Ambassador Negroponte will discuss a wide variety of bilateral and regional issues such as the Merida Initiative, public security concerns, commercial relations, CAFTA-DR, and development cooperation.

Ambassador Negroponte is the Department of State’s second-ranking official.  Appointed by President Bush, he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 12, 2007, and was sworn into office by Vice President Cheney on February 13.  As Deputy Secretary of State, Negroponte assists Secretary Rice in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy and functions as the chief operating officer of the Department.  He coordinates and supervises U.S. Government activities overseas, represents the Department’s position before Congress, and manages key foreign policy issues on the Secretary’s behalf.

Prior to his current assignment, Ambassador Negroponte served as the first Director of National Intelligence (DNI), for which he was sworn in on April 21, 2005.  Before that appointment, he served as United States Ambassador to Iraq.  From September 18, 2001, until his assignment in Iraq, Ambassador Negroponte served as the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

From 1960 to 1997, Ambassador Negroponte was a member of the Career Foreign Service. He served at eight different Foreign Service posts in Asia, Europe and Latin America; and he also held important positions at the State Department and the White House.

After his visit to El Salvador, Ambassador Negroponte will travel to Honduras and Guatemala.

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