Arab League denies chief Nabeel Al Arabi has resigned

Cairo: The Arab League has dismissed as baseless reports that its chief Nabeel Al Arabi has resigned.

“This news is completely untrue. Dr Nabeel Al Arabi continues to do his job normally,” the pan-Arab organisation said in a statement on Wednesday. It added that Al Arabi, a veteran Egyptian diplomat, Wednesday resumed his scheduled meetings after returning to Cairo from Geneva where he had met officials at the UN Higher Commission for Refugees.

Al Arabi, 78, was picked to head the Arab League in May 2011 after Qatar withdrew its nominee for the post.

Previously, he had served for three months as Egypt’s foreign minister after a popular revolt forced former president Hosni Mubarak to step down.

Earlier this month, Al Arabi denied in a TV interview reports that he had been asked to replace Egypt’s incumbent Prime Minister Hesham Qandil.

Al Arabi is an outspoken critic of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and has played a key role in suspending Damascus’ membership at the League in protest against Al Assad’s ruthless crackdown on the opposition.