MADRID -- Former Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who narrowly missed being elected FAO director general, has launched a new career currying favour with some dubious third world regimes such as Equatorial Guinea on behalf of Western companies seeking lucrative contracts, according to the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial.

 Moratinos, who was defeated by Brazilian Jose Graziano da Silva for the leadership of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Ministry (FAO) by a handful of votes following an acrimonious dispute on electoral rules, recently created his lobbying company ICP Consulting, with offices at Lisbon and Madrid. His staff include other former senior members of the Spanish Socialist government of José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, in which Moratinos was foreign minister from 2004 to 2010 when he was axed in a re-shuffle and sought a soft landing at the FAO as director general, only to be pipped at the post by Graziano.

 Among those serving in the lobbying concern are Juan Diaz, former foreign relations chief, Yoolanda Parrado, former director general of Spain's Casa Mediterràneo, and Ainhoa Camacho, former official of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, according to El Confidencial.

 ICP Consulting describes itself as "specialised in the promotion of synergies between government institutions and the public-private sector."

 Among the countries where Moratinos enjoys most influence evidently is the dictatorial regime of Teodor Obiang in Equatorial Guinea, the former Spanish colony he recently visited together with Zapatero and his former defense minister José Bono.

 In July 2009 the burly Moratinos received the Grand Cross of the Order of Independence from Obiang.

 In March last year Moratinos also visited Angola to seal a cooperation deal between the Barcelona Fair and the International Fair of Luanda.

 Moratinos also recently visited Cuba and Bolivia with Zapatero for what were described as goodwill trips but contained a commercial component, El Confidencial said.

 Against this background some observers may feel that the FAO was fortunate that Moratinos was edged out of the director generalship.

 Nevertheless FAO watchers noted that Graziano also has lost no time in showing unctuous support for Equatorial Guinea where he was photographed warmly embracing Obiang's son, a vice president, during a recent visit in his capacity as caudillo of the UN agency.

 After Graziano's election the Brazilian agronomist ensured that Spaniards received their share of top jobs at the agency so as to prevent any bad feeling that could split the Iberian alliance that has ruled the FAO in covert opposition to most OECD countries except for Spain, Germany and Chile.

 In addition to his lobbying operation, Moratinos since 2012 also is a special advisor for the "Global Dryland Alliance," a food security foundation promoted by the energy-rich emirate of Qatar, which already has sought "synergies" with the FAO.