Sudan officially rejected Egypt's nominee for Arab League chief, according to a Sudanese news agency. Egypt nominated diplomat Mostafa al-Fiqqi to succeed current Secretary General Amr Moussa, whose term ends 15 May. Sudan News Agency cited an anonymous source who said the rejection of al-Fiqqi's nomination is based on his position toward Sudan, which he expressed in articles published by Egyptian state-run newspaper Al-Ahram. The source said Sudan has officially conveyed this message to Egyptian officials through its ambassador in Egypt. Al-Fiqqi has reiterated false accusations that the current regime in Sudan is "one of the worst regimes since independence," and that it pushed southern Sudan to secede to implement a religious agenda, the source said. The source added that al-Fiqqi has refused to apologize for his statements, which he reiterated in December. Senior official Sudanese sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, had earlier told the Sudanese paper Al-Ahram Al-Youm that nominees should not have adopted a hostile stance toward any Arab country. They said the nominee must be able to win support of all Arab nations and address the challenges of teamwork between Arab states while preserving Arab solidarity. Sudanese government sources had also said Sudan does not oppose an Egyptian nominee, but has reservations regarding al-Fiqqi in particular. Egyptians have held the post since the creation of the Arab League, but the organization's charter does not stipulate that its secretary general must be Egyptian.
