Ernst Uhrlau

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Ernst Uhrlau (born December 7, 1946, Germany) is the President of the German Foreign Intelligence Service (Bundesnachrichtendienst - BND). He graduated from Hamburg University with specialization in political science.

In 1981, Uhrlau became an assistant to the Head of the Department for Protection of the Constitution of Hamburg, Christian Lochte, and in 1991 he took Lochte’s place. In 1996-98, Ernst Uhrlau was the Chief of Hamburg police. In 1998, Uhrlau was appointed a Coordinator of the Intelligence Community in the office of the Chancellor.

On December 1, 2005, he was appointed to the post of the head of the Foreign Intelligence (BND).

The most outstanding of Uhrlau’s achievements in the post of Intelligence Community Coordinator was organizing the exchange between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah of the bodies of captured Israeli soldiers for captured militants in January, 2004. In the BND documents this operation received the name "The Blue-White Sky Action" ("Die Aktion Himmel blau-weiß"). During its realization Uhrlau had numerous contacts with representatives of both parties and repeated visits to Beirut, and he proved himself, above all, an outstanding diplomat.

It is believed Uhrlau is the current mediator between Hezbollah and Israel for the release of the two abducted Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, whose kidnapping triggered the 2006 Lebanon war.