Dubai, May 16: In what seems to be a deal concluded under Qatar’s pressure, Nabeel Al Arabi, the Foreign Minister of Egypt, was unanimously elected the seventh Arab League chief.
Qatar withdrew its candidate, Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah, former head of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, following an agreement with Egypt to replace its former parliamentarian candidate, Dr Mustafa Al Fikki, by Al Arabi.
Al Fikki was considered by many Egyptians and Arabs as an aide to ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and senior member of the dissolved National Democratic Party. Egyptians protested for many days at the Arab League office in Cairo against Al Fikki’s nomination.
Al Arabi, a veteran Egyptian diplomat, is known for his nationalist and pan-Arab views. He succeeds Amr Mousa, also an Egyptian, who is planning to run for Egypt’s president.
Tradition
Traditionally, Egypt has been holding the position of the secretary-general since the formation of the Arab League in 1945, except for some time in the 1980s when its seat was moved to Tunis following a controversial visit by former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to Israel in November 1977.
A diplomat, who was attending the session to elect the secretary-general in Cairo, told Gulf News over the phone that it was a last-minute deal which kept alive the tradition of electing the secretary-general from the host nation.
“Qatar was pressing to change the unwritten rule of the nationality of the secretary-general and block the nomination of a diplomat who is widely believed will add nothing to the post,” said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Al Arabi’s election was welcomed by representatives of the 22-nation bloc.
UAE welcomes appointment
The UAE Sunday welcomed the selection of Egypt’s Foreign Minister Nabeel Al Arabi as the Arab League’s new secretary-general.
UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan praised Al Arabi’s distinguished stances in his current position as foreign minister as Egypt passes through a difficult time, and expected him to lead the Arab League towards more achievements.
“None of us could imagine that Mousa would leave his position. It is true that we have lost him as a secretary-general, but we will win him in other positions,” Shaikh Abdullah said in a speech before the meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo Sunday.
He expected Al Arabi to lead the Arab League towards greater Arab solidarity.
“We will miss you in the office of the Egyptian foreign minister, yet we will have you in the post of secretary-general,” Shaikh Abdullah told Al Arabi.
He also praised Qatar for withdrawing its candidate in favour of Al Arabi. “Qatar gave us a lesson and I hope that the Arab solidarity will be able to cope with any differences,” Shaikh Abdullah said.
-Agencies