CAIRO: Egypt nominated a career diplomat and former assistant to ousted president Hosni Mubarak to be the next head of the Arab League, replacing outgoing Egyptian Amr Moussa, the foreign minister said on Monday. Mostafa El-Fiqqi, 67, served as information assistant to Mubarak until 1992, according to a curriculum vitae published on his Facebook page. In 1995 he became Egypt's ambassador to Slovenia and Croatia. "El-Fiqqi's diplomatic experience makes him the most suitable to occupy the position of Arab League secretary general at this critical stage of the League's history," Foreign Minister Nabil El-Araby said in a statement. El-Araby said he was confident that El-Fiqqi's nomination would be approved by all Arab states. The regional body, composed of 22 Arab states, is based in Egypt's capital Cairo. El-Fiqqi was a long-time member of Mubarak's National Democratic Party, which dominated the political scene during the leader's three decades in power. El-Fiqqi quit the party after the 18-day uprising that ousted Mubarak on Feb. 11. Moussa, whose tenure expires in May, said he planned to run in a presidential election expected later this year.
