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Ambassador Lawrence G. Rossin
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia

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Ambassador Lawrence G. Rossin
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia

Ambassador Lawrence G. Rossin

Former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia

Lawrence G. Rossin, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, was nominated by President Bill Clinton on March 20, 2000, to be the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia. Ambassador Rossin was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 15, 2000. He assumed the post of the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia on January 19, 2001.In his most recent assignment, Mr. Rossin was the first U.S. Chief of Mission in Kosovo. He opened the U.S. Office in Pristina in July 1999, and headed it through February 2000. In that capacity, he was responsible for direction in Kosovo of all U.S. policy initiatives including interaction with the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK), the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) and Kosovar political leaders. He oversaw the work of all U.S. Government agencies represented in Kosovo, including the Agency for International Development, the Department of Defense and demining, humanitarian, international law enforcement and human rights elements of the Department of State. A high priority was establishment of the U.S. Office itself, a new diplomatic representation.Prior to arriving in Kosovo, Mr. Rossin was Director of the Office of South Central European Affairs at the Department of State. In that position, responsible for U.S. relations with six countries of the Balkans region, Mr. Rossin played a leading role in diplomatic efforts related to the Kosovo crisis, Dayton implementation, and bilateral relations with those countries. He led the U.S. delegations to the 1999 Rambouillet and Paris conferences on Kosovo and directed U.S. Government outreach to the Kosovo Liberation Army and other Kosovo political entities.Previous assignments include Deputy Chief of Mission in Spain (1995-98), with his final year as Charge d'Affaires a.i., and as Director for Inter-American Affairs on the National Security Council staff (1993-94). At the NSC, his key responsibility was to design and coordinate U.S. policy on Haiti. He participated in President Carter’s successful negotiation to end the military regime there and arrange the peaceful entry of U.S. forces. Earlier, Mr. Rossin was Director, Chief of Mission Authority and Overseas Staffing in the State Department, Counselor for Political Affairs in The Hague and in Port-au-Prince (Haiti), Peru Desk Officer, and Staff Assistant to two Assistant Secretaries of State for Inter-American Affairs. He participated in the 1983 military intervention in Grenada with Special Operations Forces, thereafter helping to establish our new embassy, build relations with the interim government, and end the Soviet and Libyan presence.

Mr. Rossin received his B.A. degree in economics in 1975 from Claremont Men’s College, Claremont, California. He attended the NATO Defense College in Rome (1988-89), and completed MIT’s "Seminar XXI" Program in 1994. He speaks Spanish, French, Dutch, and Croatian. He has received the State Department Award for Valor, three Superior Honor Awards, and a Meritorious Honor Award. Married to Debra J. McGowan, he has a daughter and a son.