Liberian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States, Ambassador M. Nathaniel Barnes, on Wednesday, September 17, 2008 presented his Letters of Credence to the President of the United States of America, His Excellency President George W. Bush as Liberian new Ambassador accredited to the United States.

Hon. Barnes replaces Ambassador Charles A. Minor who served as Liberian Ambassador to the United States for four years.

Hon. Barnes is President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s first accredited Ambassador to the United States of America.

Ambassador Barnes is the first Liberian diplomat in recent memories to service concomitantly as Liberia’s Permanent representative to the United Nations and at the same time as Ambassador accredited to Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Barnes was born on April 6, 1954; the second of four children of Roland T. and Eudora N. Barnes, in Monrovia, Liberia. Nat Barnes spent his formative years in Harper, Maryland County and Monrovia, Liberia.

 He attended the University of Liberia for one semester and worked at a bank for a year, before eventually going to the United States for college. Nat entered Rider University (then Rider College) in Lawrenceville, New Jersey in 1975 where in majored in Finance.

Upon acquiring a B.Sc. degree from Rider in 1978, Nat matriculated to Pace University in New York City where he obtained an MBA with concentration in Finance and Banking in 1979.

In September of 1999, Nat was appointed to the position of Minister of Finance, Republic of Liberia, a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded.

Delta Mining-Liberia Country Manager in Town

The Country Manager of Delta Mining Liberia, Klaus Piprek, has arrived in Monrovia over the weekend after the unfortunate canceling of the bidding it won last year for the Western Cluster Deposit.

But while in the country, Mr. Piprek is expected to work with relevant agencies and ministries of the government of Liberia to resolve the “unfortunate” suspicions and misunderstanding that the steel company believes led to the cancellations of the outcome of the bid it won.

The country management, according to sources, will especially be re-establishing confidence in Delta Mining -Liberia by proving that at no time it was involved in any shady dealings in order to win the bid and that it was committed to adhering to the Investment Code of the country at all time.

Delta Mining-Liberia may be willing to work quietly with the government to thrash out what appears misunderstand and unproven suspicions, but analysts say unless the government has strong proof linking the steel company to any wrongdoing, its action may be counted as arbitrary, inimical to investment in investment-starved Liberia, and only as good as reversed immediately – investigation ongoing or not.