Egypt’s former ambassador to Washington, Ahmad Maher, has been appointed as the new foreign minister in Egypt to succeed Amr Moussa, who on Tuesday will become Secretary General of the Arab League.
Reports said Tuesday that Maher has already been sworn in before President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm Al Sheikh Red Sea Resort.
Al Ahram Arabic daily said Monday that the swearing-in ceremony would take place on Wednesday, but the name of the appointee was not divulged.
Maher was not on a list of potential candidates for the post included in local press reports. However, his brother, Ali, was a strong candidate. The brother is the current Egyptian envoy to Paris.
Maher’s mission to Washington ended in September 1999. He had also served as his country’s envoy to Moscow.
The new minister is deemed an expert on Arab-US relations and has contributed columns to major Arabic newspapers like the London-based Al Hayat daily.
Maher is the grandson of the Ahmad Maher, who was Egypt’s prime minister during 1940s – Albawaba.com
