Egyptian diplomat Mostafa al-Fiqqi said on Thursday he is planning to meet with representatives of the revolution youth who criticized his nomination for secretary general of the Arab League.
Several youth groups rejected al-Fiqqi's nomination by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the interim Egyptian government. They argue that al-Fiqqi belongs to the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, under whom he served as head of a parliamentary committee.
Following a meeting with Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi, al-Fiqqi told reporters that he was going to hold a comprehensive meeting with the revolution's youth on Thursday afternoon to explain his previous roles. He said he stopped working for the former regime 20 years ago and that he was among the first personalities to support the revolution.
The young revolutionaries accuse al-Fiqqi of occupying a parliamentary seat through elections that were widely believed to be fixed, as well as accepting an appointment by Mubarak as chairman of the Shura Council's Foreign Affairs Committee, a post he maintained until Mubarak’s resignation.
If elected, al-Fiqqi will replace outgoing Secretary General Amr Moussa, whose term ends in May.
