CAIRO, Egypt (AP) _ Secretary-General of the Arab League Amr Moussa was chosen Tuesday to head the newly formed Yasser Arafat Foundation, charged with preserving the former Palestinian leader s legacy and carrying out humanitarian activities.
Some 50 Palestinian leaders, Arab politicians and intellectuals, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, gathered in Cairo to launch the foundation which is building a memorial complex to preserve Arafat s effects in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The name of Arafat is another name of Palestine, said Abbas in an address. He put Palestine back on the (world s) political map, he said.
The Arab League chief and former Egyptian foreign minister s new official title is the chairman of the board of trustees.
Those who knew him, and I am one of them, have appreciated all these colors in his personality, said Moussa during the founding ceremony at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.
Nasser al-Qidwa, Arafat s nephew and the former Palestinian foreign minister, was appointed chief of the board of directors.
Al-Qidwa said that so far the foundation has collected US$5 million (€3.35 million) for its endowment, with additional funds expected from Arab and Palestinian individuals and institutions.
The memorial complex in Ramallah will include a mosque and a museum, exhibiting his personal effects, items from his office, presents and documents.
The foundation will also name an annual prize in Arafat s name.
Arafat led the Palestinian national movement for nearly 40 years before his death in a Paris hospital on Nov. 11, 2004.
