Abdurrahman bin Hamad al-Atiyyah
The former secretary general of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), Abdurrahman bin Hamad al-Atiyyah, is to be nominated by Qatar for the post of Secretary General of the Arab League in succession to Amr Mousa who will relinquish office on 15 May, according to a report published by the Middle East News Agency.
It is learnt that Amr Mousa has announced that he would  not seek an extension of term in office.
Quoting an Arab diplomat who preferred to remain anonymous the report said that Qatar has decided to put forward the candidature of al-Atiyyah in the light of the rapid developments taking place in the Arab world.
The emerging scenario calls for a person with fresh ideas and concepts at the helm of affairs in the Arab League. Qatar’s nominee has eminently served the GCC for many years.
He has a repertoire of varied experiences which will be a great asset in the new field of joint Arab efforts on a wider scale.
The diplomat also indicated that Qatar may be putting forward a proposal to the Heads of the Arab States to make the office of the Arab League secretary general rotational so as to provide more dynamism and effective participation of all the member states. This proposal may be submitted prior to the forthcoming Arab Summit to be held in Baghdad.
The post of Secretary General of the Arab League has always been an Egyptian preserve.
The only exception was when its headquarters was moved to Tunisia in 1990.
The Tunisian diplomat Shazili al-Qulaiby took over as Secretary General for a period of one year only. He handed over charge to the Egyptian diplomat Esmat Abdul Majid in 1991.