Several local media sources have reported that former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit is set to be a nominee for secretary general of the Arab League.
Egypt’s nominee for the secretary general will not be a surprise following the name-dropping by media agencies, sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Daily News Egypt.
The ministry said earlier that Egypt will nominate a new candidate to fill the position. The new candidate will be announced after consulting with other Arab countries, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement.
Current Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Araby, whose current term ends on 1 July, said Sunday that he will not run for another term in office, 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 for Al-Araby’s efforts to bring together Arab countries in a united stance, 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 1973.
The secretary generals of the Arab league have always been Egyptian, except in 1979 when the Arab League headquarters were moved to Tunisia in the wake of the signing of the Camp David treaty. Chedli Klibi was selected for the position at that time.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit was born in 1942 and joined the foreign ministry in 1965. He was appointed as the permanent Egyptian ambassador to the UN in 1999. In 2004 he became Egyptian foreign minister.
