Today's Edition
CAIRO (WAM/AFP)
Arab foreign ministers on Sunday unanimously named former Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmy the Arab League's new Secretary General.
Fahmy will be officially approved by Arab leaders at the next summit, set to be held in Saudi Arabia, before starting his five-year term in July.
The former top diplomat, who led Egypt's foreign ministry from June 2013 to July 2014, will become the eighth Egyptian head of the Cairo-based regional bloc, succeeding Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
The 22-member bloc has only had one non-Egyptian secretary general -- Tunisian Chedli Klibi in the 1980s.
In a statement, Fahmy, 75, said the role was a "great responsibility" to bear, given "the blatant violations of international law perpetrated by aggressors who have treacherously attacked our countries and our security, and by others whose prolonged occupation of our lands have obstructed our brothers from exercising their legitimate rights".
The Arab League, founded in 1945, is a mostly political forum for Arab countries to discuss and communicate points of consensus.
For his part, candidate Nabil Fahmy extended his sincere gratitude and appreciation to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for the decision to nominate him for the post. He also thanked the member states for their unanimous support during the 165th session of the foreign ministers' meeting.
Fahmy affirmed that he accepts the significant responsibility with the utmost seriousness and awareness, given the unprecedented challenges and blatant violations of international law currently facing the Arab world.
He pledged to uphold this trust through the Arab League, and to consult with member states to address these challenges, ensuring a more secure, stable, and prosperous future while strengthening developmental paths and consolidating mutual interests among Arab nations.
