Chief of British spy agency MI6 to meet Romanian president in Bucharest

The head of UK's secret intelligence service MI6 is due to arrive in Romania on Thursday, January 30, to meet the Romanian president. John Sawers, the MI6 chief, will meet president Traian Basescu at the Cotroceni Palace, the presidency headquarters. On the same day, Basescu will also meet Philip M. Breedlove, the supreme commandment of the allied forces in Europe SACEUR. Sir John Sawer, 59, has been the MI6 chief since 2009. Prior to that, he was UK's ambassador at the United Nations for two years. From August 2003 until August 2007 he was the Political Director at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He also served two years in the Middle East, as Ambassador to Cairo, was Foreign Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair, dealing with all aspects of foreign and defense policy and headed the British Embassy team in Washington. Sir John Sawer was a member of the Secret Intelligence Service before joining the Diplomatic Service, and his early postings included Yemen, Syria and South Africa. editor@romania-insider.com