Arab League secretary general Nabil Al-Araby said Sunday he will not run for another term in office after his current term ends on 1 July, as reported by Egyptian state news agency MENA.
Al-Araby was appointed Arab League secretary general in March 2011.
Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry expressed his deep respect to Al-Araby’s efforts to unite the stance of Arab countries and to protect the interests of Arab states during his time in office. Shoukry also praised Al-Araby’s diplomatic career that began with his work at the Egyptian foreign ministry and continued during his capacity as a legal advisor to the Egyptian delegation at the UN peace conference in Geneva in late 1973.
Al-Araby also played a major role in the Taba negotiations when Egypt reclaimed the border city after long talks and international arbitration in 1988. He was appointed foreign minister after the 25 January Revolution in 2011, only to leave it shortly after in March.
Al-Araby also served as the vice president of the UN General Assembly in 1993, 1994, and 1997 and was a member of the International Court of Justice from 2001 to February 2006.
Al-Araby studied law at Cairo University and holds a JSD and LLM from New York University.
According to the Egyptian foreign ministry, Egypt will nominate a new candidate with to fill the position.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement that the new candidate will be announced after with other Arab countries.
