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Amr Moussa
ON
ORE
عمرو موسى
Amr Moussa at the 37th G8 Summit in Deauville 054.jpg
Moussa in 2011
6th Secretary-General of the Arab League
In office
1 June 2001 – 1 July 2011
Preceded by Ahmed Abdel-Meguid
Succeeded by Nabil Elaraby
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
20 May 1991 – 15 May 2001
Prime Minister Atef Sedki
Kamal Ganzouri
Atef Ebeid
Preceded by Ahmed Asmat Abdel-Meguid
Succeeded by Ahmed Maher
Egyptian Ambassador to the United Nations
In office
1 January 1990 – 20 May 1991
President Hosni Mubarak
Preceded by Ahmed Aboul Gheit
Succeeded by Nabil Elaraby
Personal details
Born
Amr Mouhammed Moussa Abu-Zeid

(1936-10-03) 3 October 1936 (age 88)
Cairo, Egypt
Political party Congress Party
Spouse Leila Moussa
Children
  • Hazem Moussa
  • Hania Moussa
Alma mater Cairo University

Amr Moussa (born October 3, 1936) is an important Egyptian politician and diplomat. He served as the Secretary-General of the Arab League from 2001 to 2011. The Arab League is a group of 22 Arab states that work together.

Before this, he was Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 2001. In 2013, he was chosen to lead a group that helped change the Egyptian constitution.

Early Life and Education

Amr Moussa was born in Cairo, Egypt, on October 3, 1936. His father, Muhammad Moussa, was a member of parliament.

Amr Moussa studied law at Cairo University. He earned his degree in 1957.

A Career in Diplomacy

Amr Moussa began his diplomatic career in 1958. For many years, he worked in different Egyptian missions around the world. These included the Egyptian Embassy in Switzerland and the Egyptian mission to the United Nations.

From 1974 to 1977, he was an advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also led the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for several years.

Representing Egypt Abroad

Moussa was the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 1981 to 1983. He then became the Ambassador to India from 1983 to 1986. In 1990, he was promoted to be Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

On May 20, 1991, he became Egypt's Minister of Foreign Affairs. He held this important role until May 15, 2001.

Key Diplomatic Efforts

Amr Moussa has been deeply involved in Egypt's foreign policy since 1958. He served as Egypt's ambassador to the United Nations, India, and Switzerland for a total of 21 years. He also worked with other diplomats to try and resolve the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990).

Moussa became very popular in Egypt because he often spoke out against certain policies. For example, he criticized policies towards Gaza and the West Bank. He also spoke about the need for fair nuclear energy policies for all countries.

Leading the Arab League

On May 15, 2001, Amr Moussa was chosen to be the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States. He officially started this role on June 1, 2001.

Napolitano Moussa
Amr Moussa with Giorgio Napolitano, President of Italy (Cairo, 27 October 2008).

In 2003, he joined a special United Nations group. This group looked at threats and challenges to international peace and security. In 2009, he signed an agreement with the Holy See (the Vatican). This agreement aimed to promote peace and dialogue between cultures and countries.

Visiting Gaza

On June 13, 2010, Moussa visited Gaza. This visit was meant to put pressure on Israel to lift its economic blockade on Gaza. It was the first visit by an Arab League official since 2007. After an event known as the Gaza flotilla raid, Moussa said the Arab League would ask the UN Security Council to demand the blockade be lifted.

His term as Secretary-General ended on July 1, 2011. Nabil Elaraby took over the position.

Presidential Candidacy

Amr Moussa was considered a possible candidate for president of Egypt several times.

Vladimir Putin in Egypt 26-27 April 2005-9
Amr Moussa with Vladimir Putin (Cairo, 27 April 2005).

The 2005 Election

In 2004, many people online signed petitions asking Moussa to run in the 2005 Egyptian presidential election. However, he did not run at that time.

The 2012 Election

Secretary General League of Arab States (4638833809)
Amr Moussa with William Hague (London, 25 May 2010).

In October 2009, when asked about running for president in 2012, Moussa did not say no. He stated that any citizen with the right skills should be able to seek political office. He also met with Mohamed El-Baradei to discuss changes to the constitution. These changes would make elections more open and fair.

On February 1, 2011, after President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not run again, Moussa said he would seriously consider running. On March 1, 2011, Amr Moussa officially announced his plan to run for president.

Amr Moussa World Economic Forum 2013
Moussa during the World Economic Forum (Davos, 2013).

During protests in 2011, a poll asked who should be the next president. Moussa was in the lead, with 26% of people choosing him. In the actual 2012 Egyptian presidential election, he finished fifth. After the election, he helped form the Conference Party.

Criticisms and Honours

Some people who worked with the Arab League criticized Moussa's management style. They said he sometimes favored certain staff members.

Egyptian Honours

Amr Moussa has received high honours from Egypt. These include:

  • Grand Cordon of the Order of the Nile
  • Grand Cordon of the Order of the Arab Republic of Egypt

International Honours

He has also received honours from other countries, such as:

Honorary Degrees

Amr Moussa has also received honorary degrees from universities like ADA University and the American University of Beirut.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Amr Musa para niños

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