Obama Taps Cuba Negotiator as Mexico Ambassador

President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Roberta Jacobson, a key figure in ongoing talks with Cuba, to be the next ambassador to Mexico.

Jacobson traveled to Havana in January, becoming the most senior ranking official to visit the communist island in 35 years.

She has led talks with her Cuban counterpart Josefina Vidal aimed at reestablishing embassies, a goal that has yet to be agreed thanks to diplomatic wrangling.

But the State Department's Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs will soon return to focus on issues directly south of the U.S. border.

Jacobson was director of Mexican Affairs at the State Department from 2003 to 2007.

She will need to be confirmed by the Senate, before taking up her post.

With immigration and the drug war both red hot issues among lawmakers, the hearings are likely to be tense.

Mexico's foreign ministry said it welcomed Jacobson's nomination, saying she had a "notable diplomatic career" that will enable President Enrique Pena Nieto and Obama to accomplish their priorities.