Bernard Bajolet

Bernard Bajolet (born 21 May 1949) is a French diplomat and civil servant. On April 10, 2013, he was appointed as head of the French secret service, the Directorate-General for External Security (Direction générale des services extérieurs). He was the French Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2013.

Contents

• French ambassador to hold talks with Sunni clerics
• Ambassador visits mosque to discuss hostages
• Early life
• Diplomatic career
• References

Early life

Bajolet was born in 1949 at Dombasle-sur-Meurthe and went to Lycée Henri Poincaré in Nancy, France. He then studied at Paris' Sciences Po, and graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 1975. That same year he joined the diplomatic service.

Diplomatic career

1975-1978: Deuxième Secrétaire and then Premier Secrétaire at Algiers

1978-1979: at the Administration centrale (Information and Press for European issues)

1979-1981: au Cabinet du Secrétaire d’Etat aux Affaires Etrangères, responsible for relations with the European Parliament

1981-1985: deuxième Conseiller at Rome

1985-1986: at Harvard University

1986-1990: deuxième Conseiller at Damascus

1991-1994: at the Administration Centrale, (Directeur Adjoint for North Africa and the Middle East)

1991: Special envoy to the Madrid Conference of 1991

1994-1998: French ambassador to Jordan

1999-2003: Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sept. 2003-Aug. 2006: Chief of the section of French interests and then Ambassador to Iraq

Nov. 2006-2008: Ambassador and High Representative to Algeria

July 2008-Feb. 2011: coordinator of intelligence for President Nicolas Sarkozy as head of the Conseil national du renseignement

2011-2013: Ambassador to Afghanistan