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Profile: Egypt's former FM to head Arab League

Xinhua, March 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

Veteran Egyptian diplomat Ahmed Abul-Gheit was appointed on Thursday as the eight head of the Arab League (AL).

In an emergency meeting in Cairo, the Arab League council unanimously agreed to appoint Abul-Gheit as the new chief to replace outgoing secretary-general Nabil Al-Araby, 80, who announced recently he wouldn't seek a second five-year term.

Egypt's nomination of Abul-Gheit for the post was initially rejected by Qatar and Sudan, until a four-member committee of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates was formed earlier on Thursday to discuss the objections.

Abul-Gheit, 73, served as Egypt's former foreign minister from 2004 to 2011, under the former President Hosni Mubarak who was ousted by mass protests in February 2011.

Since Mubarak's fall, Abul Gheit had stayed away from politics. He published his memoirs in 2013.

Born in Cairo in 1942, the veteran diplomat was graduated from Ain Shams University in 1964 with a degree in Business.

Abul-Gheit participated in the Camp David peace negotiations between Egypt and Israel under President Anwar Sadat rule in 1979.

He joined the Egypt's diplomatic corp in 1965.

He was prompted through the ministry ranks for two decades and was appointed as the chief of staff of former Egyptian foreign minister Amro Moussa in the early 1990s.

During his career, Abul Gheit also held several diplomatic posts, including in Rome, Moscow and New York.

Then in 1999 he was appointed as Egypt's permanent representative to the United Nations, but was recalled in 2004 to head the foreign ministry under Mubarak.

Abul Gheit takes office of Arab League at a time when the organization is facing several challenges amid wars and conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya.

Abul Gheit is married and has two sons.

Based in Cairo since 1945, the Arab League was founded by six Arab Countries.

Today the pan-Arab organization compromises 22 countries. The organization's main goal was drawing closer inter-Arab relations and coordinate Arab positions on regional and international issues.

Traditionally, AL's secretary general can serve two straight terms, and Cairo has always insisted that it be held by an Egyptian.

Six of seven previous secretary-generals have been Egyptians. Endit