KHARTOUM (Sputnik) – On March 10, Aboul Gheit was approved unanimously as the new chief of the 22-member organization. However, according to media reports, Qatar and Sudan disputed the decision, with Doha calling for postponing the election by one month.
"We were not opposed to the candidacy of Aboul Gheit, but were opposed to the election of the secretary-general by the majority opinion. This is contrary to the charter of the Arab League, which states that the election of the secretary-general must be approved unanimously," Bashir said.
The Sudanese leader added that there were other member states that had spoken against the former Egyptian foreign minister’s nomination. Sudan had urged to persuade them to change their mind in order to reach consensus.
Aboul Gheit was Egypt's Foreign Minister under President Hosni Mubarak, who was toppled during the 2011 uprising.
