Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said Thursday after meeting with the Qatari Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad in Doha that the next Arab League secretary general should be chosen with consensus from all Arab countries. Egypt's nominee for Arab League chief, Mostafa al-Fiqqi, said Algeria has called for a meeting regarding the position. Qatar has also nominated a candidate. Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said after meeting with his Egyptian counterpart late on Wednesday that there will not be any disputes between Egypt and Qatar over the matter. However, bin Jassim has also referenced talks several years ago about rotating the post among member countries. Egypt has held the position since the league's inception. Algeria previously requested that the position be rotated so other Arab countries would have a chance to field candidates, but withdrew its proposal following communications with Egypt ahead of the 2005 Arab League summit in Algeria. Fiqqi met with Algerian Foreign Minister Morad Medelci during a visit to Algiers on Thursday. According to Fiqqi, Medelci said Algeria does not support or oppose either candidate, but wants member countries to select a new leader based on consensus, especially as the league has a crucial role to play in regional developments. Fiqqi also held talks on Wednesday with Mauritanian Foreign Minister Sidi Ould Tah in the capital Nouakchott regarding his nomination. Translated from the Arabic Edition
