Amr Moussa

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Egyptian politician and diplomat (born 1936)

title: "Amr Moussa" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "1936-births", "cairo-university-alumni", "ambassadors-of-egypt-to-india", "permanent-representatives-of-egypt-to-the-united-nations", "secretaries-general-of-the-arab-league", "ambassadors-of-egypt-to-switzerland", "ministers-of-foreign-affairs-of-egypt", "members-of-the-egyptian-constituent-assembly-of-2012", "people-of-the-egyptian-revolution-of-2011", "politicians-from-cairo", "egyptian-political-party-founders", "recipients-of-the-order-of-the-nile", "recipients-of-the-order-of-the-republic-(egypt)", "grand-crosses-of-the-order-of-the-liberator-general-san-martin", "recipients-of-the-order-of-merit-of-the-federal-republic-of-germany", "grand-cordons-of-the-order-of-the-rising-sun", "recipients-of-grand-collar-of-palestine", "recipients-of-the-order-of-the-republic-(tunisia)", "21st-century-egyptian-diplomats", "20th-century-egyptian-diplomats", "20th-century-egyptian-politicians", "21st-century-egyptian-politicians", "diplomats-from-cairo"] description: "Egyptian politician and diplomat (born 1936)" topic_path: "science/biology" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amr_Moussa" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Egyptian politician and diplomat (born 1936) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

FieldValue
nameAmr Moussa
imageAmr Moussa at the 37th G8 Summit in Deauville 054.jpg
office6th Secretary-General of the Arab League
term_start1 June 2001
term_end1 July 2011
predecessorAhmed Abdel-Meguid
successorNabil Elaraby
office1Minister of Foreign Affairs
primeminister1Atef Sedki
Kamal Ganzouri
Atef Ebeid
term_start120 May 1991
term_end115 May 2001
predecessor1Ahmed Asmat Abdel-Meguid
successor1Ahmed Maher
office2Egyptian Ambassador to the United Nations
president2Hosni Mubarak
term_start21 January 1990
term_end220 May 1991
predecessor2Ahmed Aboul Gheit
successor2Nabil Elaraby
birthnameAmr Mouhammed Moussa Abu-Zeid
birth_date
birth_placeCairo, Egypt
partyCongress Party
spouseLeila Moussa
children
alma_materCairo University
honorific_suffixON
ORE
captionMoussa in 2011
native_name_langar
native_nameعمرو موسى
::

| name = Amr Moussa | image = Amr Moussa at the 37th G8 Summit in Deauville 054.jpg | office = 6th Secretary-General of the Arab League | term_start = 1 June 2001 | term_end = 1 July 2011 | predecessor = Ahmed Abdel-Meguid | successor = Nabil Elaraby | office1 = Minister of Foreign Affairs | primeminister1 = Atef Sedki Kamal Ganzouri Atef Ebeid | term_start1 = 20 May 1991 | term_end1 = 15 May 2001 | predecessor1 = Ahmed Asmat Abdel-Meguid | successor1 = Ahmed Maher | office2 = Egyptian Ambassador to the United Nations | president2 = Hosni Mubarak | term_start2 = 1 January 1990 | term_end2 = 20 May 1991 | predecessor2 = Ahmed Aboul Gheit | successor2 = Nabil Elaraby | birthname = Amr Mouhammed Moussa Abu-Zeid | birth_date = | birth_place = Cairo, Egypt | party = Congress Party | spouse = Leila Moussa | children = | alma_mater = Cairo University | honorific_suffix = ON ORE | caption = Moussa in 2011 | native_name_lang = ar | native_name = عمرو موسى Amr Muhammad Moussa (, ; born 3 October 1936) is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the Secretary-General of the Arab League, a 22-member forum representing Arab states, from 1 June 2001 to 1 July 2011. Previously he served in the government of Egypt as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 2001. On 8 September 2013, he was elected president of the committee of 50 that will amend the Egyptian constitution.

Early life

He was born on 3 October 1936 in Cairo, Egypt, the son of former parliamentarian Muhammad Moussa. His father also had a son named Pierre during his studies in France in the 1920s. However, Moussa's half-brother Pierre is a French citizen and has no ties to Egypt.

Moussa finished his education after earning a degree in law from Cairo University in 1957.

Diplomatic career

Moussa then began his diplomatic career between 1958 and 1972 he worked in several missions, including Egypt's Embassy in Switzerland and the Egyptian mission to the United Nations. From 1974 to 1977, he was an advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. From 1977 to 1981 and again from 1983 to 1990, he was the Director of the Department of International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1981 to 1983, Moussa was the Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, then from 1983 to 1986 Ambassador to India. In 1990, he was promoted Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations. He was named Minister of Foreign Affairs by Prime Minister Atef Sedki on 20 May 1991. He was minister until 15 May 2001 when he was elected as Secretary-General of the Arab League.

Moussa has been heavily involved with Egypt's foreign policy since 1958. He was Egypt's ambassador to the United Nations, India, and Switzerland for a total of 21 years. Moussa was one of the Arab and international diplomats who tried to resolve the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). After serving as Egypt's Foreign Minister from 1991 to 2001, he served as the Secretary General of the Arab League. Moussa has been an extremely popular political figure in Egypt due to his criticism of Israeli policies towards Gaza and the West Bank. In August 1994, Moussa made his first official visit to Israel—a visit marked by tension and controversy. Moussa drew criticism from Israeli commentators for declining to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, a customary stop for visiting dignitaries, and for focusing his agenda entirely on pressing Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). At a joint press conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Moussa argued that Israel’s nuclear capability posed a threat to Egypt, while Peres responded by emphasizing Israel’s peaceful intentions and comparing the situation to the United States’ possession of nuclear weapons.

At the Forum for new diplomacy in February 2010, Moussa gave a speech in which he criticized the U.S. government's double standard supporting Israel's nuclear weapons policy but not allowing Iran to pursue nuclear energy. He also criticized Western countries, including the U.S., for not recognizing the results of the 2006 Palestinian election that brought Hamas into power. Like Mohamed El-Baradei and the Muslim Brotherhood, he supports opening the Gaza Strip/Egypt border. His criticisms have made Moussa extremely popular.

Secretary-General of the Arab League

On 15 May 2001, Moussa was selected as Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and took office on 1 June 2001. Critics of former-President Hosni Mubarak allege that Moussa's appointment to the office of Secretary-General of the Arab League was motivated by Mubarak's desire to remove him from the public spotlight, and so he would not compete as a candidate in the 2005 presidential elections.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Napolitano_Moussa.jpg" caption="Amr Moussa with [[Giorgio Napolitano]], [[President of Italy]] (Cairo, 27 October 2008)."] ::

On 2003, he became a member of the United Nations High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change for International Peace and Security.

On 2009, he signed a memorandum of understanding with the Holy See and met with Pope Benedict XVI in order to strengthen joint projects and to promote peace and dialogue on a cultural and political level.

On 13 June 2010, Moussa visited Gaza in a move to pressure Israel to lift its economic blockade over Hamas-ruled Gaza. The visit by Moussa was the first by an official of the Arab League since the election of Hamas in 2007. Immediately after the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid, Moussa said the Arab League would go to the UN Security Council to demand the blockade be lifted. On 15 May 2011, Nabil Elaraby was elected as Secretary-General of the Arab League and succeeded Moussa on 1 July 2011.

Possible presidential candidacies

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Vladimir_Putin_in_Egypt_26-27_April_2005-9.jpg" caption="Amr Moussa with [[Vladimir Putin]] (Cairo, 27 April 2005)."] ::

2005 presidential election

Main article: 2005 Egyptian presidential election

In 2004, an online community gathered tens of thousands of signatures petitioning for Moussa to run in the 2005 elections, but there was no response. In a Doha Debate Forum televised by the BBC in 2006, Moussa was asked about his presidential hopes. Moussa merely replied that he hoped to continue the recent run of successes that have occurred under his leadership at the Arab League until the end of his term.

2012 presidential election

Main article: 2012 Egyptian presidential election

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Secretary_General_League_of_Arab_States_(4638833809).jpg" caption="Amr Moussa with [[William Hague]] (London, 25 May 2010)."] ::

When asked in October 2009 about rumours that he might run for the presidency in 2012, Moussa did not deny his intention to run for office or rule it out, leaving the door open to speculations. He argued that "It's the right of every citizen that has the capacity and efficiency to aspire to any political office that would allow him to contribute to the service of his nation". He further stated to the press that the qualities required to be the President of Egypt also apply to Gamal Mubarak, son of Hosni Mubarak. He also expressed appreciation "for the confidence expressed by many people when they talk about his candidacy for the presidency and that the message reached him". ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Amr_Moussa_World_Economic_Forum_2013.jpg" caption="Moussa during the [[World Economic Forum]] (Davos, 2013)"] ::

Moussa held talks with Mohamed El-Baradei after his return to Egypt. Many speculate that this meeting was held to discuss Constitutional reforms that will allow transparency in the election process as well as lifting restrictions on independent candidates. On 26 January 2011, at the Annual Horasis meeting in Zürich, Moussa shared strong views on the need for economic and political reforms in Egypt, and made it clear that he was considering a run.

On 1 February 2011, following the announcement by President Hosni Mubarak that he would not stand in the upcoming presidential elections, Moussa told CNN that he would seriously think about standing himself as a candidate in the next few weeks. On the 8 February broadcast of Al Jazeera English's Empire, well-connected American journalist Seymour Hersh stated that Moussa was considered the U.S.'s favored "Plan B" should Mubarak resign, "whether he knows it or not." On 11 February 2011, Al Jazeera English Online read from a Reuters report that stated Moussa was resigning from his position with the Arab League; on the day that President Mubarak resigned the presidency this furthered rumours he might make a strong bid for president when elections are announced in Egypt. On 12 February 2011, the Egyptian daily newspaper Alwafd reported that a group of Egyptian youth met with Moussa to discuss a possible nomination for the presidential election. Moussa reportedly agreed to the nomination, but stated that he would await the currently proposed constitutional reforms.

Amr Moussa announced that he would be running as a presidential candidate on 1 March 2011.

A poll conducted during the 2011 protests asking "who do you think should be the next President of Egypt?" showed Moussa in the lead, with 26% of respondents naming him.

Moussa placed fifth in the election with 11.13% of the first round vote. After the election, he formed the Conference Party with which a number of smaller opposition parties aligned.

Criticisms

Although credited with shaking up the Arab League's bureaucracy, Moussa has been criticized by former and current staff members of the Arab League for his management of the organization. In his book, The League of the Arab States: what’s left of it, former Arab League and Syrian diplomat Kawkab Najib El Rayess accused Moussa of favoritism and promoting his loyalists into the high ranks of the Arab League at the expense of the more-qualified diplomats.

Honours

Egyptian national honours

::data[format=table]

Ribbon barHonour
[[File:EGY Order of the Nile - Grand Cordon BAR.png70px]]
[[File:EGY Order of the Republic - Grand Cordon BAR.png70px]]
::

Foreign honors

::data[format=table]

Ribbon barCountryHonour
[[File:ARG Order of the Liberator San Martin - Grand Cross BAR.png70px]]Argentina
[[File:BRA - Order of the Southern Cross - Grand Cross BAR.svg70px]]Brazil
[[File:National Order of Merit-Grand Cross (Ecuador) - ribbon bar.gif70px]]Ecuador
[[File:Legion Honneur Commandeur ribbon.svg70px]]France
[[File:GER Bundesverdienstkreuz 6 GrVK Stern Band.svg70px]]Germany
[[File:JPN Kyokujitsu-sho 1Class BAR.svg70pxribbon bar]]
[[File:JOR Order of the Renaissance GC.SVG70px]]Jordan
[[File:The Star of Palestine (Palestine) Ribbon.svgThe Star of Palestine (Palestine) Ribbon70px]]
[[File:Orden of Friendship.pngOrden of Friendship70px]]
[[File:SWE Order of the Polar Star (after 1975) - Commander 1st Class BAR.pngSWE Order of the Polar Star (after 1975) - Commander 1st Class BAR70px]]
[[File:Order of the Two Niles (Sudan) - ribbon bar.gifOrder of the Two Niles (Sudan) - ribbon bar70px]]
[[File:Order of the Republic (Tunisia) - ribbon bar.gif70px]]Tunisia
::

Honorary degrees

Publications

  • Memoirs. 1: The Formation and the years of Diplomacy (كتابية : النشأة و سنوات الدبلوماسية), ed. Dar al-Chorouq, Cairo, 2017

References

References

  1. (18 September 2012). "'Civil' powers unite to form 'Conference Party'".
  2. (8 September 2013). "Egypt liberals tighten grip on constitution drafting".
  3. [http://www.timesofisrael.com/amr-moussa-denies-having-jewish-relatives/ Amr Moussa: No, I don’t have an Israeli half-brother], Times of Israel, by Elhanan Miller, dated 6 April 2012.
  4. Phelps, Timothy M.. (17 February 2011). "Diplomat seen as a solid leader, but too old to be Egypt's president". Los Angeles Times.
  5. United, Nations. (4 March 2011). "Biography of Amre Mahmoud Moussa". United Nations.
  6. (23 January 2002). "Profile: Amre Moussa". BBC.
  7. "Middle East peace and the NPT extension decision".
  8. Seale, Patrick. (5 February 2010). "An Arab Voice". The New York Times.
  9. Wooden, Cindy. (23 April 2009). "Vatican, Arab League sign new agreement to promote peace, dialogue". Catholic News.
  10. Tim Franks. (13 June 2010). "Arab League chief Amr Moussa in first visit to Gaza". BBC.
  11. (5 November 2013). "Arab League, BBC". BBC.
  12. "What the media say about the Doha debates".
  13. (20 October 2009). "Amr Moussa opened the way for speculation about his candidacy for the presidency of Egypt". CNN.
  14. (20 October 2009). "Amr Moussa did not rule out running for the presidency of Egypt". Reuters Arabia.
  15. [http://www.shorouknews.com/ContentData.aspx?id=143426 Amr Mousa to (Al-Shorouk): Every qualified citizen has the right to aspire to serve the country and become the president].
  16. Frank-Jurgen Richter. "Horasis Annual Meeting".
  17. Weaver, Matthew. (1 February 2011). "Egypt protests". The Guardian.
  18. Hersh, Seymour. (8 February 2011). "Empire". Al Jazeera.
  19. [http://www.alwafd.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15975:ثوار-يلتقون-موسى-وزويل-لبحث-مرشح-الرئاسة&catid=98:محلية&Itemid=92 ثوار يلتقون موسى وزويل لبحث"الرئاسة"]. Alwafd
  20. Badawi, Rania. (1 March 2011). "Moussa To Run For President, Will Announce Election Platform Soon". Al-Masry Al-Youm.
  21. [https://www.scribd.com/Egypt-Poll/d/48662607 "Phone Survey of Cairo and Alexandria", Scribd Middle East Polls] {{webarchive. link. (13 March 2011 . Scribd, Retrieved 25 May 2012.)
  22. Moran, Michael. (20 October 2005). "The Arab League and Iraq". Council on Foreign Relations.
  23. Nasrawi, Saif. (15 July 2013). "Egypt's opposition divided over counter-attack strategy". Egypt Independent.
  24. (25 November 2018). "منح وشاح النيل إلى السيد / عمرو موسى".
  25. link
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  28. [link](https://archive.aawsat.com/details.asp?section=4&article=38703&issueno=8207 https://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/news/2011/05/30/177944.html)
  29. link
  30. "令和5年春の外国人叙勲 受章者名簿". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
  31. "الملك يقلد عمرو موسى وسام النهضة".
  32. (30 May 2011). "الرئيس عباس يقلد عمرو موسى وسام نجمة فلسطين".
  33. "عمرو موسى بعد تقليده وسام النجم القطبي: السويد قصة طويلة من الأداء المحترم على الساحة الدولية - بوابة الشروق".
  34. link
  35. "Ambassador Amr Moussa receives honorary doctorate from ADA University".
  36. "«اللبنانية الأميركية»: دكتوراه فخرية لموسى وسالم والسماك وجرجور".
  37. (2017-09-16). "A diplomat remembers: The memoirs of Amr Moussa".

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