Former PM becomes ambassador

Former Prime Minister of Iceland, Geir H. Haarde, will be the country's next ambassador to the United States. This has been confirmed by the Foreign Ministry after the US government accepted Haarde's appointment last month.

Haarde will take over the post in the beginning of next year when the current ambassador, Guðmundur Árni Stefánsson, leaves office to take on other duties. Haarde was Prime Minister from 2006-2009, Foreign Minister from 2005-2006 and Minister of Finance from 1998-2005. He was vice-chairman of the conservative Independence Party (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn) from 1999-2005 and chairman of the party from 2005 until 2009 when he left politics.

Haarde was educated in the United States. He received a bachelor's degree in economics from Brandeis University in 1973, a master's degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University in 1975 and a master's degree in economics from the University of Minnesota in 1977. In 2007 Haarde furthermore received an honourary doctorate degree in law from the University of Minnesota.