A seven-member CNI-led observer mission to the Palestinian Legislative Council elections on January 25th, 2006 including Ambassadors Edward Peck and Robert Keeley, included stays in all five neighboring countries: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. The delegation met with top government officials and leading opposition figures in Palestine and neighboring Arab countries to assess the accelerated development of democratic institutions and their impact on U.S. long-term interests in the region.
Amr Moussa Amr Moussa (born 1936) is the current Secretary-General of the League of Arab States since his election to the position in May 2001. He is a former Egyptian Foreign Minister and diplomat He served as CairoÂs ambassador to India in 1967 and as EgyptÂs ambassador to the United Nations in 1990. He was appointed Foreign Minister in the Ganzouri Cabinet in 1991 and remained in this position until 2001. During his tenure as Foreign Minister, Moussa was critical of the United States foreign policy and its biased relationship with Israel. Critics of current Egyptian 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. 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.
Producer:Eugene Bird Production Company:a l c h y m e d i a Sponsor:Council for the National Interest Audio/Visual:sound, color Keywords:Amr Moussa, Arab League, Palestine, Israel Contact Information:cbelcher@alchymedia.com