Qatar will nominate a former Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) head as successor to Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Egyptian state-run news agency MENA reported Monday.
MENA quoted an Arab diplomat, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, as saying that Qatar will support the nomination of Abdulrahman al-Attiyah as Moussa's successor amid the rapid developments taking place in the Arab world. He said these developments will require fresh ideas for managing the League.
Qatar, according to the source, regards experience managing the GCC general secretariat, which strongly affects joint Arab action, as useful.
“There are indications that Qatar will suggest, before the Baghdad summit, that the position be rotated among the Arabs,” said the source. “This will make the Arab joint work more dynamic and guarantee effective participation by all the Arab countries.”
Egyptians have held the post since the Arab League's establishment because of Egypt's traditional leadership role among Islamic and Arab countries, as well as its position in the world. However, the League's charter doesn’t include any clause that states the post must be held by Egyptians.
Amr Moussa’s term will end on 15 May, and he has announced that he will not apply again.
The League sent a memorandum in Feburary to member countries' delegations to ask them to nominate candidates.
