Former Egyptian FM Aboul-Gheit named Arab League chief

Cairo, (IINA) - Arab foreign ministers voted on Thursday to appoint veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Aboul-Gheit as the secretary-general of the Arab League, DPA reported.
He will succeed Nabil Elaraby, another Egyptian diplomat, who said last month that he would not seek a second term in leading the Cairo-based organization. Elaraby's five-year mandate ends on June 30.
Aboul-Gheit, 73, was the sole contender for the position, and his choice comes at a critical time for the 22-member regional bloc, as it struggles against an extremist insurgency and raging wars in Syria and Yemen, as well as tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Aboul-Gheit served as the last foreign minister under Egypt's ex-President Hosny Mubarak, who stepped down after the 2011 popular uprising.
Chiefs of the Arab League have always been Egyptians since the organization was created in 1945.
The only exception came in 1979 when the headquarters of the organization were moved from Cairo to Tunisia after Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel. Chedli Klibi, a Tunisian politician, was selected for the position at that time.
AG/IINA

Let's block ads! (Why?)