Dubai: The Gulf Cooperation Council endorsed the appointment of Bahrain's candidate for secretary- general of the six-nation organisation, the state-run Kuwaiti KUNA news agency reported on Tuesday.
Mohammad Al Mutawa, cultural affairs adviser to the Bahraini premier, was the Bahraini candidate. He will replace Qatar's Abdul Rahman Al Attiyah on April 1, 2011, when Al Attiyah's term ends.
Al Mutawa is a former information and cabinet affairs minister and currently cultural adviser to Bahrain's prime minister.
Earlier this year, news emerged that Qatar might seek to prolong the tenure of Al Attiyah who has been secretary-general since April 2002.
Manama said that it was determined to have the position rotated in the Arabic alphabetical order of the names of the six member states.
Bahrain was scheduled to assume the position in 2002, but gave up its turn after a request from Qatar.
Abdullah Bishara of Kuwait was the first secretary-general of the GCC, established in 1981 in Abu Dhabi.
He was succeeded in 1993 by Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi of the UAE, Jameel Al Hujailan of Saudi Arabia in 1996 and by Al Attiyah of Qatar in 2002.
