Claus Sönksen

Claus Hermann Sönksen (* 24 July 1933 in Widminnen ) is a former German diplomat , among others from 1964 to 1970 as a Personal Assistant to a close associate of Willy Brandt and later between 1989 and 1991 Ambassador to Kuwait and 1991-1994 Ambassador to Was Laos .

Life

After attending school in 1954, Sönksen began studying law , which he completed in 1962 with the second state examination after completing his legal preparatory service. In 1962 he became an employee of the Berlin Senate Administration and was last there between 1964 and 1966 as personal assistant to the governing mayor , Willy Brandt . After Willy Brandt took over the office of Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs on December 1, 1966 , he remained his personal advisor until October 21, 1969. As such, he was one of Brandt's closest collaborators, alongside the head of the ministerial office, Hans Arnold . After Willy Brandt took office as Federal Chancellor on October 21, 1969, he continued to be his personal advisor and at the same time head of the Chancellor's office in the Federal Chancellery .

After completing this function, Sönksen moved to the foreign service in 1970 and was initially counselor at the embassy in the USA until 1975 and then between 1975 and 1979 at the embassy in Thailand , before he was employed at the embassy in France from 1979 to 1982 . From 1982 to 1986 he was Head of Section IV A 2 (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland, Austria) of Sub-Department IV A of Department IV (Abroad) of the Federal Government's Press and Information Office .

In 1986 Sönksen returned to the foreign service and was the successor to Harald Busse until 1989 Consul General in Calcutta . He held this post until 1989 and was then replaced by Richard Giesen . He then became ambassador to Kuwait in 1989 . He remained in this post until 1991 and was replaced by Gunter Mulack . Subsequently, in 1991, he again succeeded Helmut Arndt as ambassador in Laos . He held this position until 1994 and was replaced by Ulrich Dreesen .

Sönksen was most recently consul general in Miami from October 31, 1994 until his retirement in 1998 .

Web links

• Short biography in the Federal Archives (page accessed on 23 September 2016)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ AMBASSADOR: Right hand . In: Der Spiegel from August 2, 1971
2. ↑ Where Kiesinger is still "Mr. Federal Chancellor" . In: Der Spiegel from August 2, 1971
3. ↑ "The degree of opportunism is enormous" . In: Der Spiegel from April 3, 1972
4. ↑ Consuls General after Independence ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the homepage of the Consulate General in Calcutta (page accessed on 23 September 2016) 
5. ↑ FOREIGN CONSULAR OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES, 1995 ( Memento of the original from October 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 

predecessor	Office	successor
	Ambassador to Kuwait 1989–1991	Gunter Mulack
Helmut Arndt	Ambassador to Laos 1991–1994	Ulrich Dreesen