Amr Mohammed Moussa (born 3 October 1936) is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the Secretary-General of the Arab League, a 22-member forum representing Arab states, from 1 June 2001 until 1 June 2011. He is a candidate in the 2011 Egyptian presidential election.
Early life
He was born on 3 October 1936 in Cairo, Egypt. He finished his education after earning a degree in law from Cairo University in 1957.
Diplomatic career
Moussa then began his diplomatic career. Between 1958 and 1972 he worked in several Egyptian missions including Egypt’s Embassy in Switzerland and the Egyptian mission to the United Nations. From 1974 to 1977 he was an advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt. From 1977 to 1981 and again from 1983 to 1990, he was the Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. From 1981 to 1983, Moussa was the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, then from 1983 to 1986 Ambassador to India. In 1990, he was promoted Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations.
Secretary-General of the Arab League
On 15 May 2001, Moussa was selected as Secretary General of the League of Arab States and took office on 1 June 2001. Critics of the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak allege that Moussa's appointment to the Office of Secretary-General of the Arab League was motivated by Mubarak's desire to remove him from the public spotlight.
On 2003, he became a member of the United Nations High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change for International Peace and Security
On 2009, he signed a memorandum of understanding with the Holy See and met with Pope Benedict XVI in order to strengthen joint projects and to promote peace and dialogue on a cultural and political level.
On 13 June 2010, Moussa visited Gaza in a move to pressure Israel to lift its economic blockade over Hamas-ruled Gaza. The visit by Moussa was the first by an official of the Arab League since the election of Hamas in 2007. Immediately after the Gaza flotilla raid, Moussa said the Arab League would go to the UN Security Council to demand the blockade be lifted. On 15 May 2011, Nabil el-Araby elected as Secretary General of Arab League and succeed Moussa in June 1, 2011.
From : www.wikipedia.org
