

MEDIA RELEASE MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS ALEXANDER DOWNER FA109           2  September  2005





DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENT:AMBASSADOR TO JORDAN

I have today announced the appointment of Mr Trevor Peacock as Australian Ambassador to  the  Hashemite  Kingdom  of  Jordan.   Mr  Peacock  will  succeed  Mr  John  Tilemann,  who  has   been Ambassador since November 2001.  He will take up his appointment in December 2005.

Australia  and  Jordan  enjoy  a  warm  and  growing  bilateral  relationship.   In  particular  we   welcome close cooperation in recent years on a range of issues, including counter-terrorism  and combating people-smuggling.  Australia appreciates Jordan’s constructive and moderate  role in the Middle East region.  Jordan has played, and will continue to play, an important role  in  assisting  Iraq’s  rehabilitation  and  reconstruction.   We  also  share  the  goal  of  peaceful   resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Our bilateral trade relationship shows potential for expansion, particularly in the services area.   Australia’s  principal  exports  to  Jordan  are  live  sheep,  dairy  and  meat  products.   The   Memorandum of Understanding on live animal trade signed in May will further enhance this  aspect of our commercial relationship.

Mr  Peacock  is  a  career  officer  with  the  Department  of  Foreign  Affairs  and  Trade  and  is   currently the Director of Services Trade and Negotiations Section, a position he has held since  April 2003.  During this time he has also served  as  State  Director  of  the  New  South  Wales   State Office (April-August 2004).  Prior to this he held the positions of State Director, South  Australia  State  Office  (1998-2002),  Executive  Officer,  Arabian  Peninsula,  Iran  and  Iraq   Section  (1996-1998),  Executive  Officer,  OECD  Section  (1994-1996),  First  Secretary,   Australian Embassy Rome (1991-1994), Executive Officer, West Europe Section (1989-1991)  and  Third  Secretary,  Australian  Embassy  Athens  (1986-89).   Mr  Peacock  joined  the   Department of Foreign Affairs in 1985.

Mr  Peacock  was  born  in  Newcastle-under-Lyme,  UK  in  1958.   He  has  a  Bachelor  of  Arts   (First Class Honours) from the University of Queensland.  He is married.



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