Dr. Nabil Arabi: An Unforgettable Situation – Walid Mahmoud Abdel Nasser

One of the most important, outstanding and distinguished ambassadors and foreign ministers in the history of Egyptian diplomacy has passed away from our world, and one of the people who left a clear mark in the history of Egyptian foreign policy, the history of Arab politics. He is Ambassador Dr. Nabil Abdullah Araby, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, and learn about the history of the United Nations and international law, especially through the International Court of Justice portal. Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, former judge of the International Court of Justice.

Talking about the great man’s exploits is a wide and long topic, there is much, much more that can be said and written about his achievements and his mark at the national, regional and international levels, but I will focus here on specific, selected positions and try to shed light on them, which of course all add to his most famous role in the Taba case in the nineties of the twentieth century.

The first position we mention here is the role played by Ambassador Dr. Nabil El-Arabi, one of Egypt’s leading legal experts, during the Camp David negotiations between Egypt, Israel and the United States of America in September 1978. His positions, opinions and contributions were important and valuable due to his leadership position at the time in the legal department of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These positions, contributions and opinions were praised by many who later participated in these negotiations in the memoirs of the then Egyptian Foreign Minister, the late Ambassador Mohamed Ibrahim Kamel.

As for the second case we are discussing here, it is the prominent and influential role played by Ambassador Nabil Elaraby in rallying and mobilizing support when he was Egypt’s permanent representative to the United Nations in New York from 1991. After the election of Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali as Secretary-General of the United Nations at the international level, the Egyptian government nominated Dr. Boutros-Ghali for this high international position. This matter is not simple at all, not at all, but on the contrary, it was very ambiguous, complicated and ambiguous at the time.

At that time, no Arab or African had ever been elected to this important position, and there were many candidates for the position, even among African countries themselves, and there was a clear international trend: an African would hold this position, which was the first time in the history of an international organization.

However, Ambassador Dr. Nabil Elarabi managed the electoral battle successfully on the ground in New York with skill, wisdom and finesse, which attracted everyone’s attention and won wide appreciation and admiration despite the presence of important and significant figures. The Cairo level, represented by the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Mr. Amre Moussa, and the then Deputy Prime Minister in charge of external relations, Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali himself, played an important role and made important efforts.

In his work, Dr. Nabil Arabi relies on his diplomatic and legal abilities and arguments, experience in multilateral international work and extensive international relations accumulated during four decades of working in the Egyptian diplomatic corps, including the ability to conduct bilateral or multilateral negotiations, convince one or the other of his point of view, suppress competitors or opponents, and gain more friends, advocates and supporters.

These efforts of Egypt ultimately succeeded, yielding impressive results and significant achievements in the history of Egyptian diplomacy, with the late Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali becoming the first Egyptian, Arab and African Secretary-General in history. His election, in an election process that seemed to be based on international consensus, also underscored Egypt’s global stature and the international community’s appreciation of Egypt’s role and contribution to the international system over the decades since its formal independence. The Declaration of February 28, 1922 and subsequent accession to the League of Nations, which represented the previous form of international organization, was established after the end of World War I and before the establishment of the United Nations in 2007. The aftermath of World War II in 1945.

As for the third and final position we present here, it is the prominent and important role played by the late Ambassador Dr. Nabil Elaraby during and after the Egyptian Revolution of January 25, 2011. Member of the Council of the Wise, which was keen on the peaceful nature of the Egyptian Revolution and its emphasis on civil-military integration, and ensuring a peaceful and smooth transition of power after the late former President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak stepped down and handed over power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which was then headed by the late former Defense Minister Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, of which Ambassador Dr. Nabil Elaraby was also a member. Playing a communication role between the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the civilian forces that participated in and contributed to the revolution. It was therefore natural, logical and expected that he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in early March 2011, reflecting a new vision that was in line with the stage at that time, and contributing to the formulation and concretization of Egypt’s new foreign policy. In some respects, it was consistent with what had gone before, that is, constants, and in others, it was different from what had gone before, that is, variables.

May God have mercy on Dr. Nabil Arabi and he will continue to be with us and the future generations of Egyptians and Arabs for centuries to come through the great and important legacy he left us in many fields.