Former Egypt foreign minister Ahmed Maher dies
AFP
CAIRO- Former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Maher, who served as the country's top diplomat between 2001 and 2004, died on Monday aged 75, the official MENA news agency reported.
Maher died in hospital where he was taken after a sudden illness during the night, the agency said, without elaborating.
The career diplomat, who was ambassador to Moscow and Washington in the 1990s, succeeded Amr Mussa after he was appointed head of the Arab League.
Maher's work as foreign minister was dominated by the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the US-led invasion of Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He was replaced in 2004 by Egypt's current foreign minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.
The previous year, during a rare visit to Israel as part of Egyptian efforts to relaunch the peace process, Maher was attacked by Palestinian activists in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians booed and hurled shoes at him, in protest at Egypt's perceived policy of appeasement towards Israel.
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Maher's work as foreign minister was dominated by the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the US-led invasion of Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He was replaced in 2004 by Egypt's current foreign minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.
The previous year, during a rare visit to Israel as part of Egyptian efforts to relaunch the peace process, Maher was attacked by Palestinian activists in the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in east Jerusalem.
The Palestinians booed and hurled shoes at him, in protest at Egypt's perceived policy of appeasement towards Israel.
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