Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced his country's intention to re-nominate the current Secretary-General of the Arab League for a second term.
The Egyptian presidency issued a statement Saturday announcing that Sisi sent messages to Arab leaders to express Egypt's intention to re-nominate Ahmed Aboul Gheit as the League’s chief for another five years.
The statement indicated that Cairo is looking forward to the leaders' support for this nomination, in accordance with the provisions of the League’s Charter.
The presidency spokesman, Ambassador Bassam Rady, explained that the re-nomination of the Sec-Gen comes within the framework of the great interest that Egypt attaches to the work of the Arab League which serves Arab people.
Sisi is keen to provide all possible support to the organization where Arabs’ aspirations are embodied for a coordinated collective action aimed at serving Arab peoples and interests, according to Rady.
He indicated that this characterized the role of the Secretary-General during his first term of the leadership of the joint Arab action system during a challenging phase in the Arab region.
Aboul Gheit, 78, is the eighth general secretary of the League since its establishment. He began his diplomatic career in the mid-sixties, and held various positions, lastly as Egypt’s Foreign Minister between 2004 and 2011 before he was elected to lead the AL.
Abdul Rahman Azzam was elected as the first general secretary of the university in 1945, and seven Egyptian officials held the same position.
The late Tunisian politician, Chedli Klibi, held the position between 1979 until 1990 following Arab countries' boycott of Egypt after it signed a peace treaty with Israel.
