Arab League Confirms Egyptian Diplomat Nabil Fahmy as Secretary General

Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmy, right, accompanies his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2013.

Arab League

The Arab League on Monday confirmed Egyptian veteran diplomat Nabil Fahmy as its new chief during a meeting of foreign ministers in Amman, a statement said.

Fahmy's five-year term as secretary general is to begin at the start of July, succeeding Ahmed Aboul Gheit who served two consecutive terms as head of the regional body.

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. He was unanimously nominated for the post in March.

The 22-member bloc has only had one non-Egyptian secretary general -- Tunisian Chedli Klibi in the 1980s -- when Egypt was suspended for signing a peace deal with Israel, at the time breaking a regional consensus.

Fahmy, 75, said in March that 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".

He did not explicitly name Iran or Israel, but his statement echoed his predecessor's line on both.

The Arab League, founded in 1945, is a mostly political forum for Arab countries to discuss and communicate points of consensus.