Egyptian television has announced the death of Osama al-Baz, political advisor to former President Hosni Mubarak, at the age of 82.
“I announce with deep sorrow the death of the dean of Egyptian diplomacy and faithful patriot Osama al-Baz,” said his wife Omayma Tammam.
The funeral would start after the noon prayers on Saturday at the Sayeda Nafisa mosque.
Baz was born in Dakahlia in 1931. He received a BA in law in 1954 and a Ph.D. in public law from the United States in 1962. He began his career as a prosecutor before he was appointed to the Foreign Ministry in 1958. He then became secretary of the Diplomatic Institute and political adviser to the foreign minister. He was the youngest ambassador in 1975, and was called the Maestro of Egyptian foreign policy .
He was also an adviser to the Al-Ahram Israeli and Palestinian Studies Center, office director of the first secretary of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs, rapporteur of the Socialist Union’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, director of the Diplomatic Institute, office director of the vice president, director of the president’s Office of Political Affairs, and first deputy of the Foreign Ministry.
He participated in the Camp David negotiations and the drafting of the peace treaty in 1979, took over the Palestinian-Israeli dossier for an extended duration and participated in several intellectual and cultural seminars.
He was the brother of the NASA geologist Farouk al-Baz.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
