David Blatherwick (diplomat)

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Sir
David Blatherwick
British Ambassador to Egypt
In office
1999–1999
Preceded byChristopher William Long
Succeeded bySir Graham Boyce

Sir David Elliott Spiby Blatherwick,

Foreign Office in 1964 he served in a number of diplomatic posts in Kuwait, Ireland, Egypt and at the United Nations in New York. He was appointed the British ambassador to Ireland from 1991 to 1995, and ambassador to Egypt from 1995 to 1999. Following his retirement he has served on the boards
of a number of organisations.

Education and career

Born on 13 July 1941,

diplomatic service in 1968.[3][4] His first overseas posting was Kuwait from 1968 followed by Dublin in 1970.[5] He was promoted to First Secretary and returned to work at the Foreign Office from September 1973.[5] In July 1977 he was appointed Head of Chancery in Cairo.[6]

He was promoted to counsellor and from March 1981 to 1983 he was seconded to the Political Affairs Division of the Northern Ireland Office.[7] Following criticism of the British government by Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich after the death of hunger strikers Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O'Hara in May 1981, Blatherwick advised the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, on a possible response to the Cardinal.[8] Documents related to the hunger strike, including Blatherwick's advice note, were released by the British Government in 2012 and published on the Conflict Archive on the Internet website.[8]

During his time in Northern Ireland he met with the

Ulster Unionist politician, David Trimble. Blatherwick described Trimble as initially suspicious of the motives of both the Northern Ireland Office and the Foreign Office, who he saw as pandering to the nationalists. However Trimble later came to the view that Blatherwick was not planning to sell out Ulster but was instead "looking for some formulation that would quieten things down."[9]

In March 1983 he became Head of the Energy Science and Space Department at the Foreign Office.[10] He was appointed counsellor and Head of Chancery at the UK mission to the United Nations in New York and served there from June 1986 to 1989.[11][2] He returned to the Foreign Office again in 1989, this time as Superintending Under-Secretary and Principal Finance Officer with responsibility for planning and co-ordination of expenditure and oversight of delegated budgets.[12]

He served as

ambassador to Egypt from May 1995 to 10 February 1999.[14][15] He retired from the diplomatic service in 1999.[2]

After retirement

Following his retirement he took up a number of

between the two countries.[2] He was a trustee of the British Egyptian Foundation for Children with Special Needs charity before it was disbanded in July 2011.[17][18]

Blatherwick became

British University in Egypt since it opened in 2005 and still continues in this role as of the 2011 to 2012 academic year.[20][21] He had been involved with the initial proposals for the new university during his time as ambassador to Egypt in 1998.[22]

In April 2004 Blatherwick was one of 52 former British diplomats to sign a letter criticising

state visit to the UK.[26][27]

Honours

He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1973,[28] a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1990 and a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1997.[29][30]

Personal life

He married Margaret Clare Crompton in 1964.[3] Blatherwick is a patron of Humanists UK.[31]

Works

  • Blatherwick, David E.S. (1987). The international politics of telecommunications. Research series (University of California, Berkeley. Institute of International Studies). Vol. 68.
    ISBN 9780877251682
    .

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-11-591750-9
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e "Sir David Blatherwick KCMG OBE British Chairman of Encounter" (Press release). 10 Downing Street. 28 January 2003. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009.
  3. ^
    Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1968. p. 164.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  4. Her Majesty's Stationery Office
    . 24 May 1968.
  5. ^
    ISBN 9780115916458.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  6. ISBN 9780115916526.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  7. ISBN 9780115916540.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  8. ^ a b "Secret hunger strike documents released". BBC News. 4 July 2012.
  9. ISBN 9780007179992
    .
  10. ISBN 9780115916571.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  11. ISBN 9780115917073.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  12. ISBN 9780115917363.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  13. ISBN 9780115917417.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  14. ^
    ISBN 9780115917530.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  15. ISBN 9780115917714.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link
    )
  16. ^ a b "David Elliott Spiby Blatherwick KCMG OBE". Director Check. Company Check. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  17. ^ "The British Egyptian Foundation for Children with Special Needs". Open Charities. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  18. ^ "The British Egyptian Foundation for Children with Special Needs". Charity Commission for England and Wales. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  19. ^ "Board of Directors". The Egyptian-British Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on 17 August 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  20. ^ "Loughborough University congratulates The British University in Egypt on the occasion of its formal opening" (Press release). Loughborough University. 22 March 2006.
  21. British University in Egypt. 19 April 2011.[permanent dead link
    ]
  22. ^ "Egyptians welcome British initiative". Times Higher Education. TSL Education. 27 October 2000.
  23. ^ "Diplomats slam Blair on Mid-East". BBC News. 27 April 2004.
  24. ^ Barder, Brian; Bergne, Paul; Birch, John; Blatherwick, David; Boyce, Graham; Bullard, Julian; Campbell, Juliet; Cartledge, Bryan; et al. (29 April 2004). "Ambassadors' letter to Blair". BBC News.
  25. ^ Hastings, Chris; Bamber, David; Nikkhah, Roya (2 May 2004). "Diplomats failed to disclose their own Arab links". The Sunday Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group.
  26. guardian.co.uk. Guardian Media Group
    .
  27. ^ "Letters: Harsh judgments on the pope and religion". The Guardian. London. 15 September 2010.
  28. Her Majesty's Stationery Office
    . 2 June 1973.
  29. Her Majesty's Stationery Office
    . 30 December 1989.
  30. ISSN 0374-3721
    .
  31. ^ "Humanists UK Patron: Sir David Blatherwick, KCMG, OBE". Humanists UK.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
British Ambassador to Ireland

1991–1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
British Ambassador to Egypt

1995–1999 		Succeeded by
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